Pompeii stars on playing slave roles in new film: 'A slave is a slave'

theGRIO VIDEO - 'Pompeii' stars Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Kit Harrington open contrast playing a slave in the Roman Empire with playing a slave in more contemporary times..

The new action-adventure film Pompeii is an adrenaline rush from beginning to end.

The film features Game of Thrones star Kit Harrington and Thor: Dark World actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and centers on a slave-turned-gladiator in a race against time to save his true love, As Mount Vesuvius erupts and the city of Pompeii crumbles around him.

Watch as Harrington and Agbaje talk to theGrio’s Chris Witherspoon about their Pompeii and discuss what it’s like playing a slave in the Roman Empire.

“A slave is a slave,” Agbaje said. “The character that I play is an enslaved African, but under Roman law of that day, a gladiator could earn his freedom by winning a certain number of fights. So there is a window of freedom that is possible. That was a huge distinction in playing a slave in more contemporary times.”

Harrington and Agbaje also compared and contrasted their film with the Oscar-winning Best Picture Gladiator.

Pompeii hits theaters nationwide Friday.

Click below to watch Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje talk about his role in the upcoming Annie remake

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