Jonathan Manu Bennett (born 10 October 1969), also known as John Bennett or Jon Bennett, is a New Zealand actor.
Of Māori descent (Te Arawa and Ngāti Kahungunu) and born in Auckland to a singer and a fashion model, Manu's family relocated to Australia soon after his birth. During high school Manu played representative rugby and studied classical ballet and piano, before attending University of NSW to study Drama.
He appeared in
- Blue Heelers (1994) as Mark Daivies
- Beast Master (1999) as Terron Leader
- Xena: Warrior Princess (2000) as Marc Antony
- Shortland Street (2000 — 2001) as Jack Hewitt
- Lantana (2001) as Steve Valdez
- The Marine (2006) as Bennett
- The Condemned (2007) as Paco
- 30 Days of Night (2007) as Deputy Billy Kitka
- Spartacus (2010 — 2013) as Crixus
- Sinbad and the Minotaur (2011) as Sinbad
- Arrow (2011 — 2017) as Slade Wilson / Deathstroke
- The Hobbit trilogy (2012 — 2014) as Azog the Defiler
- The Shannara Chronicles (2016-2018) as Allanon the Druid.
Tropes
- Ability over Appearance: The producers of Arrow had the choice of either staying true to the comics and finding an American to play Slade Wilson, or altering the character to be Australian and hiring Bennett.
- Actor-Inspired Element:
- He had suggested the Love Triangle with Shadow on Arrow, and was surprised when they actually wrote it in, as he had played it differently.
- He based his performance as Azog on rugby player Norm Hewitt, who had bullied him in high school.
- Creator Backlash:
- He was very disappointed by his guest spot in Season 3 of Arrow, where Slade suffered serious Badass Decay, and said it would be his last time playing the role. Luckily, the producers were able to placate him with a much better designed return in the Season 5 finale, leading to him becoming a recurring cast member again.
- In an interview before the premiere of the Finale Season of Spartacus, he lamented his belief that the show could go for one more season (seeing that said season is a Compressed Adaptation, he may have had a valid point).
- The Danza: Played a character named Bennett in The Marine (the first one).
- Dyeing for Your Art: While the rest of the cast of Spartacus underwent this, Manu took it to another level by growing both his hair long and a beard to fit Crixus' Character Development.
- Enforced Method Acting: He opted to not drink alcohol at all while making Spartacus but made an exception for the scene in "Kill Them All" where Crixus confronts Lucretia - where he took a shot of whiskey before filming to properly get "away from myself".
- Fake Nationality: Rarely ever plays an Australian or New Zealander.
- Male Frontal Nudity: He opted to play his first scene as Crixus completely naked, and did several other nude scenes on the show. He also refuted claims that he'd worn prosthetics in certain scenes, stating that any difference in size was mainly due to how cold the set was. Indeed, he was responsible for a rule being instated that the edit could not stay on a nude shot for more than three seconds - after filming the scene of Illythia and Lucretia ogling him before fighting Theokoles, which was shot in winter, and not realising how long the shot would linger on him for.
- Mr. Fanservice: He is a Tall, Dark, and Handsome man who is also incredibly ripped. He even showed it frequently on the Spartacus Series, and we really mean show.
- The Other Marty: Conan Stevens initially played Azog and filmed all the motion capture, but Peter Jackson decided his performance wasn't working, and Manu was then cast to replace him.
- Production Posse: With Sam Raimi but more so Rob Tapert, who cast him in both Xena and Spartacus. He also frequently appeared in WWE films during the middle of the Turn of the Millennium.
- Rated M for Manly: Is frequently cast in these type of works, his Star-Making Role included.
- Star-Making Role: He's been around since The '90s, but his role as Crixus gave him recognition and boost.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He stands 5'11.
- Those Two Actors: With Lucy Lawless and Cynthia Addai-Robinson.
- Vacation, Dear Boy: While impressed by the pitch for The Shannara Chronicles, the tipping point for him was the fact that it was filming in New Zealand and it meant he could work with his old friends from Spartacus.
- What Could Have Been: Was up for the title role in Conan the Barbarian (2011), Ronon Dex in Stargate Atlantis (both went to Jason Momoa) and Terry Sheridan in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life (went to Gerard Butler).
SHALL WE BEGIN?!!!!!!!!!
