House of David tells the story of the ascent of the biblical figure, David, who eventually becomes the most renowned and celebrated king of Israel. The series follows the once-mighty King Saul as he falls victim to his pride when, at the direction of God, the prophet Samuel anoints an unlikely, outcast teenager as the new king.
As Saul loses his power over his kingdom, David finds himself on a journey to discover and fulfil his destiny, navigating love, loss, and violence in the court of the very man he’s destined to replace. As one leader falls, another must rise.
We recently sat down with House of David's leads, newcomer Michael Iskander and actor Martyn Ford to discuss their roles as David and Goliath.
During our conversation, we learned about their collaboration and the journey David goes on as this epic Biblical story plays out.
Ford, who takes on the role of the villainous Shao Kahn in the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie sequel, also talked about how that project prepared him for the new Prime Video series. Then, he delved into the importance of his dynamic with Iskander in crafting a convincing battle between the two characters.
You can watch the full House of David interview with Ford and Iskander in the player below.
Michael, when we first meet David, he's incredibly eager to prove himself. What did you enjoy most about taking him on the journey we see him go on heading into those later episodes?
Michael: I think this show for David is about him becoming someone who is comfortable in his own skin, someone who knows who he is and is able to overcome fear. That's something I think we get to dive into pretty deeply through his relationships with his father, with his brother, with his family and once he enters the castle and starts hanging out with King Saul, and navigating and learning about all these people and God, it inspires him to take on one of the most powerful foes he will ever meet.
Martyn, you already tower over the majority of people and have an incredible bodybuilding background. Did that help in giving you the confidence to join this series as a literal giant among men?
Martyn: Yeah, I think so. When you can already feel the character's physicality, that gives you a vantage point, for sure. I think, for me, having the opportunity with the previous shows and film that I shot, it kind of set this up awesomeness for. Playing Flamma in Those About To Die and Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat II, two humongous figures in their own rights...to top it off and have the opportunity to play Goliath, was a stepping stone to the ultimate bad guy if that's a word we can use to represent him. Going back to your initial point, the physicality of Goliath is known by millions and millions. There are only a certain few who could pull a character like this off, even with all the CGI and the ability to change someone's shape and so on. I live with this size day to day so it's a natural feel that definitely helped.
Having just come off a huge franchise like Mortal Kombat, was that also a big help in getting you ready for this equally as epic Biblical tale?
Martyn: 100%. I think that the more opportunities you get to partake in films with such magnitude as Mortal and then to come on to the set of House of David...being an actor is an ever learning process and there were definitely elements of Shao that I brought to this role. Not so much who he was, just the preparation for the scenes. I think ultimately being portrayed the bad guy in pretty much 100% of the shows I get to be in [Laughs], you learn the traits and ways and looks. Sometimes, one look can say 1000 words and there's definitely a few of those looks in this show that David gets, for sure [Laughs].
Talking of those Michael, when it came to the battle between these two, what did you enjoy about that and sharing those days on set with Martyn?
Michael: Well, I mean one of my favourite things about filming with Martyn was not only getting to face off with Goliath but it was the moments in between takes and different chats we had, learning about Martyn, his work ethic, personality, and the advice that he would give me. That was one of my favourite things about filming with him. I learned how hard he works. I heard he ate an entire chicken a day and 12 eggs and I was like, 'Man, anybody who can stuff down food like that...that is insane!
Martyn: [Laughs]
Michael: It was inspirational for me.
So, it's fair to say he helped prepare you for the action David sees?
Michael: Definitely. Seeing a man of that stature, I feel like I have to step up my game. [Laughs]
Martyn: I think we definitely worked well together. It was an easy relationship. What I really enjoyed working alongside Michael was that he was there for you as the other actor. Off camera, he still gave you the energy you needed and that's so important. As you go through your career as an actor, you realise what a good partner is and when you don't have a good one. When someone puts in 100% and the camera is not on their face, it helps sell the scene, particularly for the magnitude of David and Goliath. If you've just got someone stood there reading effortlessly and just completely out of the scene, it's very hard to give the energy back. There's definitely a mutual respect and that's ultimately what this is about in this game. The more Michael shines, the more I can shine, the more the series shines, and that's all we want to do. We want to bring the best version of this story to the audience.
House of David will be available on Prime Video on February 27.