Varro
A Roman citizen, Varro sold himself into the ludus to pay off gambling debts and provide for his wife and child. A solid fighter who follows orders, he is accepted easily by the other gladiators. He admires Spartacus because of his now legendary victory against the four gladiators in the arena but where Spartacus is impulsive, Varro is cautious. Despite this, he is Spartacus’s only true friend in the ludus.
Australian actor Jai Courtney plays Varro in “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” a Starz original action-adventure drama series, set in the brutal Roman gladiator era.
In an unusual move, Varro puts himself into the gladiator training Ludus, seeing it as a way out of his gambling debts. Courtney says Varro “probably thinks of himself as being handy enough with the blade to manage that. His best option in life is to fight for what he needs for him and his family.”
Varro becomes Spartacus’ only friend, Courtney says, “they realized that they’ve got a common goal, the need for survival, so there’s an understanding between them that forms their bond.”
In 2008, Courtney had a lead role in the hit Australian series “Packed to the Rafters” and a guest lead in the popular “All Saints.” He was in the comedy feature To Hell & Bourke and several short films.
He graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
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