At the special Paramount screening, the stars of «Gladiator II» Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and Fred Hecheinger showed their new film for the first time and talked about their experience working on Ridley Scott’s sequel.
Denzel Washington plays the important role of Macrinus, a wealthy arms dealer and former gladiator who plans to control Rome. The actor joked: «He’s misunderstood, he’s a good guy».
«He tries to use everyone. He would have used his mother, he would have used his own children. The soul has already been sold, so there is nothing left.
…
He is in bed with the devil. When you were walking, you were in Rome, —10,000 extras and horses. It was a fantasy, it was a game, it was fun. Just put on the gear, the clothes and walk around, that’s the way I look at it. I put on this outfit, these heels, and go crazy,» Washington continued, explaining that Ridley Scott made it easy for the actors by creating a life-size set.
Paul Mescal plays the adult Lucius, nephew of the Emperor Commodus from the original movie. He returns to Rome after being taken into slavery to become a gladiator. He seeks revenge.
«I believe that Lucius presented something for me that I have never done before, a man who «keeps» on his feet for two and a half hours. I hadn’t had to do that before, something was hidden in me, something more full of what people didn’t see»,” Mescal says of the role.
The actor jokes about the physical and emotional transformation of his character: «This naive idea in the beginning when I thought: «Maybe I’ll just play a gladiator who looks normal». Later he realized: «I always saw him as someone who was just fighting his way to survival», whereas for most of the movie «he doesn’t really care if he lives or dies».
At the end of the conversation, Mescal noted that the sequel, which will appear 24 years after the original, «carries the legacy of the first film with great pride and honor, I think it goes in a direction that develops this honor and respect for the heavens».
«I think it was done by the only person who could ever touch it, Ridley Scott. As his friend and longtime admirer, I think it’s some of his best work I’ve seen in a long time. I’m very proud of his work, my work, everybody sitting here and everybody not sitting here. No one can take this away from us»
Work director and actors, as well as costumes and sets will be available for viewing in Ukrainian cinemas on November 13.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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