He wants action

Ray Stevenson stars as Frank Castle in the “Punisher: War Zone” reboot of the Marvel Comics-based franchise. He played Titus Pullo in HBO’s “Rome.”

What are you going to do to take advantage of your status as an action hero now?

Mostly try and keep fitter. It’s great: If the movie is successful, then we’ll get to do it again. There’s so much source material, it’d be great to revisit Frank.

It’s true that action guys are like starlets in that you have to control your diet and gym regimen.

Allegedly. But thankfully, I’ve got a great stunt double, he can take all the jumps and leaps. You have to keep in shape. I’m not an actual gym person, with those matching socks and tops, and going into a room where everyone’s counting?

And you’re not 27.

No, I’m not 27. How good of you to notice.

When “Rome” ended, nearly two years ago now, what did you think of the state of your career?

When we started filming [the second season], we knew we were going to end. And I think halfway through, the figures started coming out from Season 1 and they admitted they made a bit of a mistake in pulling the series. There’s rumors around that Bruno Heller may be working on a movie script version. But it served me really well. I got my American representation. And I had the best time filming it.

You’re represented by Conway Van Gelder in the UK and then you were picked up by Endeavor in the U.S. How did you find them, or they you?

I was in America for the first season, the premiere, actively looking for American representation and had a few meetings. Endeavor represents Bruno Heller, and I had a chat with Brian Swardstrom, who I took to immediately. It felt like a really good relationship, and it has proved to be since then.

You’re bandmates, as it were, then with Tilda Swinton!

Yeah, yeah! She’s Brian -- and Ed Norton as well. I feel very pleased.

Have you thought about having children?

I’ve got a son! He was born literally a week after filming, so I have a little Canadian boy. He was born the 25th of December. He’s coming with his mother for the premiere. Looking forward to his first birthday.

Has that changed you?

Completely. Everything’s the same yet everything’s different. It’s just one of the best things that ever happened to me. He’s a gorgeous little chap.

Have you made any errors yet?

Of course! That’s my job. But sometimes you don’t even know they’re errors till you find out too late. But we’re getting along as a family very well. Oh, my word, I didn’t believe I could exist for so long with so little sleep.

What do you like to do? Has that changed in the last year?

No, no! I like to paint, I’ve got my canvases ready back where we’re living. And I like to see the world. My girlfriend’s an inveterate traveler and the baby’s got a papoose and a passport.

Where next?

Down to L.A.! And then after that, it’ll be back to Spain, then Italy for Christmas, then off to Santiago and Chile in the new year -- on a boat. A real National Geographic tour down the coast of Chile. Kayaks and all that.

And what will you do if this movie, say, bombs?

Well, if the movie doesn’t work, I’m still rightly proud we’ll give the fans the best acting the “Punisher’s” had. . . . . If the audience in general doesn’t take to it, we can rightly say we’ve all done a good job. If it doesn’t go on to “Punisher 2,” “Punisher 3,” I think it’ll stand in the lexicon of comic book characters and hold its head up high.

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