In a film that made a name for plenty of other stars, including Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, and Michael Fassbender, Vincent Regan turned out an impressive performance and an epic war cry as Captain Artemis, loyal war buddy and second-in-command to King Leonidas, who sticks it to the Persians just as much as the rest of the brave 300. Regan is actually at the center of one of the film’s most emotional scenes when, in a significant shift from the source material, Artemis’ son Astinos (Tom Wisdom) is killed in battle.
In Frank Miller’s epic comic book series fictionalizing the Spartans’ last stand against the Persian army, Astinos’ death is only mentioned. And while Artemis’ cries of agony are detailed, he never actually converses with King Leonidas following the incident. But director Zack Snyder’s choice to include the captain’s heartbreaking monologue certainly feels like the right move, allowing Regan to deliver one of the film’s rawest and richest moments of loss for a group of soldiers who seemingly don’t fear it.
