Like most of us, Dylan Sprouse has a Roman Empire.
We’re not talking about the actual, literal Roman Empire — we’re talking about the viral internet meme about asking people what they’re obsessed with.
The whole bit started on TikTok as a trend in which women would approach men and ask them how often they think about the Roman Empire. They found that a surprising amount of men actually think about it a lot.
Now, the term Roman Empire has come to represent any niche topic that a person is really fascinated with and has extensive knowledge about. It’s become so popular to ask people what their Roman Empire is that we decided to ask Dylan Sprouse during a larger conversation about his new movie The Duel.
Turns out he’s a big history buff, which makes sense, considering The Duel is about two modern dudes who decide to settle their differences with a shoot-out, 1800s style.
So what’s Dylan Sprouse’s Roman Empire, you ask? The Battle of Stamford Bridge which took place in 1066 between the English and the Norwegians. It’s widely regarded as the end of the Viking Age.
Also Read: Dylan Sprouse’s New Movie The Duel Started With a Game of Beer Pong
Dylan Sprouse Tells Us All About His Roman Empire
“My Roman Empire is the Battle of Stamford Bridge. That I think about a lot. And I think about Harald Hardrada a lot, who is the famous outlawed prince who ended up establishing the Varangian Guard down in the Byzantine Empire. That’s something I think about all the time,” Sprouse says. “I think it’s really badass to go, at that point in time, from Scandinavia and travel on the river systems and then establish a bodyguard unit in a different country entirely.”
Sprouse loves the Varangian Guard so much — they were the bodyguards of the Byzantine emperors in the 14th century — that he got a ruby earring to pay homage to them.
“This is what they literally say in the text: they were identified by their great stature, their love of fighting, their love of drinking, their love of women, and a red ruby earring set in their left ear. And so I actually got a red ruby earring in my left ear because of that,” he says. “I love that history so much. I just find them hilarious. So that’s my Roman Empire.”
Sprouse isn’t just a history buff about the Battle of Stamford Bridge, of course — “You name it, I’m kind of a buff about it,” he says.
Specifically, he loves Scandinavian history.
“I find it particularly interesting to me. That’s what I would say I’m mostly a buff about, and the sagas and the Germanic tribes, and obviously Rome a little bit here and there. I like the American Gold Rush history a lot just because I’m a Californian,” he says.
The Duel follows Sprouse as Colin, who is challenged to a duel by his best friend Woody (Callan McAuliffe) after Woody finds out that Colin has been sleeping with his girlfriend. Their other best friends Kevin (Hart Denton) and Sam (Denny Love) get roped into the debacle when they meet a dueling enthusiast (Warburton) and are invited to fight to the death at a wealthy drug lord’s palatial estate in what may or may not be Mexico.
Out now in select theaters, The Duel was written and directed by Justin Matthews and Luke Spencer Roberts. Sprouse serves as an executive producer for the first time. The other cast includes Patrick Warburton, Ronald Guttman, María Gabriela de Faría, Christian McGaffney, and Rachel Matthews.
Main Image: (L-R) Dylan Sprouse and Callan McAuliffe in The Duel, Lionsgate/Grindstone