Ray Stevenson gets his big entrance inBlack Sailsseason 3 early on.

Heaven help the rest of the swarthy souls residing there.

It also likely helps Teachs onscreen implications that Stevenson is no stranger to premium cable drama enthusiasts.

Did you first discover the pirates genre while growing up?

Ray Stevenson:I did.

They wereThe Blue Pirate, The Green Pirate,andThe Red Pirate.

I dont know why this memory came back, but each went on their various escapades.

How much of that stuff does work intoBlack Sails?

Once youre a peasant, youre always a peasant.

Youre never going to elevate your life.

What the big surprise was is finding out how egalitarian the whole system was.

So that was a big surprise.

Well thankfully research was plentiful as well.

Research as such, I mean historical books are written by victors and written by essentially sensationalists as well.

But people did build their own legends, and it was very important in that time.

I mean a mans status was everything in those days.

There was not that many people in the world.

And so, if one lost station in life and lost status, it was a damning thing.

So to build a legend, to build your own legacy, was paramount.

Also, Blackbeard is so ubiquitous in popular culture.

For better or worse, he was in the lastPirates of the Caribbeanmovie.

I would say very much.

I mean you also haveCrossbones, the TV show fictionalization.

Its in the way he walks.

He has that sort of charisma.And he did.

He used it to effect, this is well documented as well.

Just give up without a fight.

Theyd just go, Theres no way were fighting that, because of the legend.

The popular story is that hed put fuses in his beard.

Yeah, but they were called matches in those days, funnily enough.

Im sure, like all things, there would be some semblance of truth in that.

Do you think well see that on the show?

[Smiles] I dont know.

Well have to wait and see.

Well, he was one of the original co-writers of what was called the Pirates Charter.

Its a bit Henry VIII-ish in a sense.

What do you think his relationship with the character Charles Vane is like?

Well Charles Vane is one of the principal reasons he does come back.

And part of that is to come back and see if there is any future relationship there.

If there is any legacy there that he could in fact pass on.

Big mistake wasnt it?

[Laughs]

Could you say what its like as an actor to have a scene like this?

Because its just a pitch perfect introduction to your character.

It is and its, like everything, about temperance.

You know dramatically the power of the scene that has been written for you.

Because the impact is all there.

And in fairness, the impact is also in the reaction of others around you.

You cant demand status, you have to have that sort of status given.

So, everybody played it beautifully, and it was super well directed.

They found some strange things on that ship as well, didnt they?

They keep bringing up cannons, it seems like.

Yeah, but also medical equipment for thehealthcareof the onboard crew.

Do you feel a kinship withBlack Sailsbecause ofRome?

I feel likeRomewas the first one to do this premium cable spectacle.

Its one of the principal reasons why I agreed and got involved.

I saw some of the episodes, I read the first script but then I saw the making of.

And who doesnt want to get involved in that?

And it was similar to my going around theRomeset and seeing theres no acting required here.

Were on the biggest standing set in the world.

Its five and half acres ofROME, and I am riding a horse up the Aventine Hill on set.

Hundreds of people are around, and sheep and dogs and cats, and whatever else.

So, the smell is like [wow]!

So basically, these charactersyoure not playing a historical character.

Theyre not historical characters, theyre contemporary.

So thats the power of it.

I know that Bruno Heller said ifRomehad continued, he would have seen Pullo and Vorenus go to Galilee.

That would have been sublime!

How do you think Pullos story could have ended further down the road?

And Pullos the only one who has that memory of him or that life.

And basically, [Augustus] asks him to.

Nobody else could kill him.

I still hope we see it one day.

But it was a genius way of going.

I mean Brunos mind is justwell Bruno Heller, hes brilliant.

Thank you so much for doing this.

Thank you, pleasure.