In the sequel to «Gladiator», Paul Mescal will play an adult version of Lucius — the son of Lucilla and Maximus (as it turned out in one of the previous trailers).
Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hutchinger and Denzel Washington star in Ridley Scott’s new film alongside Mescal. The actor who played Lucius had mixed emotions when he met the latter:
«The first day I worked with Denzel, he was sitting in the box, and I was fighting some monkeys or something. And at the end of the day I thought: “God, I have to go up and introduce myself to him.” I stood by the stairs for a few minutes and decided: “Not today. Tomorrow I’ll be braver,»” the actor recalls in an interview with Graham Norton of BBC (via Variety).
Eventually, a face-to-face meeting took place and Mescal says he felt «overwhelmed» when Denzel shook his hand and noted his physical transformation for the role (in another interview, Paul said he «lifted weights and ate a lot of chicken breasts» to get in shape, calling the experience «terrifying»).
The actor also recalled the details of his audition, which strangely took place during a Zoom video call and lasted no more than 30 minutes:
«Ridley doesn’t waste time», — the actor said «I thought there would be camera tests, auditions. But we talked about the role for 10 minutes and the rest — about Gaelic football, his dog and his wife».
Mescal hoped that after that he would be called for a real audition, but Ridley Scott called a week later with a job offer.
«I think he just follows his instincts. On and off the set. And I’m very glad it worked out that way».
In previous interviews, the actor also suggested that he got the role for his appearance, and in particular «Roman nose».
We would like to remind you that «Gladiator II» will debut in Ukrainian cinemas on November 13, but the premiere screening in Los Angeles has already given get acquainted with the first reactions — they turned out to be somewhat mixed, but almost all critics predicted «Oscar» to Ridley Scott, Paul Mescal, and Denzel Washington.
«Gladiator II» takes place 16 years after the events of the original film and focuses on Lucius (grandson of the former Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla, played by Connie Nielsen). The protagonist lives with his wife and child in Numidia, but after the invasion of General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), he is sent into slavery — in fact, he will repeat the fate of Maximus from the first film.