Photo: Starz

In Sparatcus: House of Ashur, Ashur needs a spectacle that will really stand out and set his house apart. He picks Neferet, a Nubian woman trying to get her freedom, and gives her the name Achillia, the goddess of death. She has to fight for respect, and her life, in the ring and within the House of Ashur.

I talked to Tenika Davis, who plays Achillia, about why the other gladiators at House of Ashur don’t like her and how she can gain their respect, the similarities between her Ashur, why Tachron in particular doesn’t like her, why Celadus gives her a chance, and what it was like working with a lot of men.

Spartacus: House of Ashur is now streaming on Starz with new episodes Fridays.