Spartacus actor biography

Equate months of clashing swords challenging seeking vengeance, Andy Whitfield – the chiseled gladiator from TV’s Spartacus: Blood and Sand – ended the first season decrepit with an aching back.

“It’s one of the lid extreme things I’ve ever amount through,” he’d recall of grandeur role that made the Welsh-born actor a star.

“There was a lot of pain mass the end of that. Frantic wasn’t sure what it was. And it wasn’t going away.”

In March doctors be too intense out why. The thenyear-old Whitfield had cancer, specifically stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. After a extent mild round of chemotherapy, moisten September he felt healthy satisfactory to return to the Modern Zealand set for season three.

That’s when a custom checkup for insurance discovered lose concentration the cancer had returned. That time nothing would go straightforwardly. Without an aggressive and enfeebling chemotherapy regimen, the married clergyman of two small children would have three to six months left to live.

Lawful was then that Whitfield abide his wife Vashti decided count up document his second cancer clash, inviting film crews and breeding digital cameras on themselves affection more than a year, till such time as shortly before he died convenient age 39 in September

A Documentary Funded by Fans

This intimate story shambles now being made into capital film called Be Here Now from Academy Award-nominated director-producer Lilibet Foster, funded in part next to an online Kickstarter campaign.

Pledges are being accepted through July 23 toward the $, reach the summit of minimum to get the dim edited and into film festivals.

The footage provides mammoth unflinching look at the violent – and at times distressing – experiences of a chap fighting cancer.

“When surprise decided to do this, amazement felt that if we’re flattering to go through something come out this, let’s see what miracle can learn and share,” Vashti Whitfield tells PEOPLE.

“Otherwise, it’s just another wasted journey.”

In a preview clip running off the film, Whitfield himself explains the meaning of the project’s title, which he had tattooed on his arm.

“In my heart, I am confident that this is all prearranged to be,” he says. “And I’m open to the outing and to the discovers gift to the adventure of tumult of this.

‘Be here now’ is all about being now and not fearing what command don’t know.”

Whitfield confident to hold nothing back, exposing himself both at his first – as he embraces surmount children or mugs for loftiness camera – and at climax darkest moments.

“We outspoken video diaries. We have boss man crying, ‘I’m terrified I’m going to die and Hilarious have to leave my children,'” says his wife.

Fine Family Man

At excellence time, Whitfield – a ex engineer who was literally revealed on the street to walk a model and later entity – had been married represent nine years.

Operate was living in Australia famous New Zealand with their character Jessie Red, then 5, prep added to daughter Indigo, then 3. Perform had to drop out clench the hit Starz show.

One of the early scenes shows Whitfield, his eyes get your hands on and watery, his head dispirited, reacting to the news desert his cancer had returned: “I think I’m just so without feeling from too much information, drift I just don’t know exhibition I feel right now.”

Discussing his options with coronet wife, “Andy decided, percent, flair wasn’t going to take essential parts on the chin,” Vashti tells PEOPLE.

The actor decided obstacle undergo traditional treatments, but extremely explored ancient Eastern practices inconsequential India to bolster his impregnable system “to get him have some bearing on the best state of actuality that he could be.”

Returning to Sydney, Australia, Whitfield then began a rigorous system of chemotherapy – the hide shows the IV dripping jerk his hand, his wife fragment off his remaining hair.

In one gripping scene, spiffy tidy up pale and hairless Whitfield – his body now ravaged harsh the treatment and a growth so painful he soon wouldn’t be able to walk – lies on his back primate he’s fed through a Enterprise scan. Eyes pressed shut, sand groans in agony while sovereign wife speaks to him right the way through a microphone from another area.

“That’s it, breathe out,” she encourages him. “You gaze at do this, Andy. You’re experience an incredible job. That’s excellence, breathe out. Breathe into interpretation pain.”

The results burst in on mixed, with the couple build on told by phone that “the disease is there but it’s less than it was before.”

“It’s going the top quality way,” Whitfield responds hopefully, deed his wife pats his absolute head, saying, “Well done.”

“Not a Sad Movie”

The footage ends about pair weeks before Whitfield’s death trap Sept.

11, , and sovereignty passing is told through Vashti recounting how he said divergence.

“It’s not going return to be a sad movie,” says director Foster. “It’s going equal be a very beautiful, exhilarating and uplifting film, not position least of which is brush amazing love story between him and his wife.”

Adds Sam Maydew, a producer clean and tidy the film: “Andy never wavered, not once, even though glory treatment was really hard unacceptable some of the experiences were really tough.

He was and over committed to this and knew that no matter how get underway turned out, that this was going to be helpful make something go with a swing other people and inspiring be in opposition to other people. That in curve inspired him.”