"I think it will be a great fight, gladiator fight on the pitch, but not on the streets,"

VOA: standard.2009.05.26

Whether you want to cook like an Italian, buff up on wine or fight like a gladiator, there is a school ready to teach you how.

BBC: From gladiators to pasta: Top Roman courses to take

But while the success of "Gladiator" opened doors for her, it also meant she had to fight the kind of typecasting that would try to limit her to playing "the love interest" to a male lead who got all the good lines.

CNN: Connie Neilsen proves she's no Hollywood eye candy