Paul Mescal turns and looks out the window as he talks about his portrayal of a warrior fighting for his life in the long-awaited sequel to the Gladiator Of Ridley Scott. The light hits the corners of his square face and for a moment it’s easy to imagine him as a thousand-year-old marble bust. “Mine is a Roman nose,” he says. “So useful in this context. The nose that I hated in high school and was teased for became perfect when Ridley needed someone to Gladiator 2».
Paul Mescal’s Lucius washes his hands in the sand, just like Russell Crowe’s Maximus did in Gladiator original. The first trailer of Gladiator II will be available on July 9th.
Aidan Monaghan/Paramount Pictures.Mescal didn’t expect the public-facing role of the sensitive and ambitious Connell Waldron in the romantic series Normal People would have led him to play a ferocious sword-wielding hero in the sequel to what was awarded best film of 2001. But the romantic adaptation of the bestselling Sally Rooney he was a convict. «When I watch something, I take note of who seems interesting to me», explains the director. «It’s simply in my DNA. And so, almost four years ago, watching a TV show that wasn’t really my thing, I wondered who he was that lad”. The moment the possibility of realizing Gladiator 2 became more concrete, Scott organized a Zoom with Mescal while the actor was busy in London representing A Streetcar Named Desire. “I met him and he said, ‘Sure, I’d love to do that.’ And that was it,” Scott says. “We were ready and off we went. It was a special meeting. It was absolutely perfect.”
It really did happen so quickly, Mescal confirms. “We talked for about 20 to 30 minutes,” he says. “I wanted to get a feel for the story, and then we spent the last 10 minutes talking about the sport I played growing up: Gaelic football. Maybe that helped me, because I got used to using my body.” There was talk of a possible camera test, but Scott decided that wasn’t necessary. “If memory serves, I think the pitch came to me within two or three weeks,” Mescal says.
Pedro Pascal’s Roman general Acacius is “a man deeply regretful of his life and who doesn’t know where he’s going,” says director Ridley Scott.
Aidan Monaghan/Paramount Pictures.Now, with Gladiator 2 released in theaters on November 22nd, they are ready to tell the rest of the world where the story will start again in the years following the sacrifice of Massimo, played by Russell Crowewho gave his life by overthrowing the leadership of a decadent and corrupt society. The central character played by Mescal is Lucio, the young son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) the noblewoman from the original film. She also returns in the sequel, playing one of the few real historical figures in the otherwise fictional plot of the Gladiator: the daughter of the late emperor Marcus Aurelius. In the original film Lucilla is depicted as an ardent revolutionary desperate for the direction Rome has taken after the death of her father.
When Gladiator 2 resumes his story, decades have passed and Lucio has grown up far from his mother. Lucilla sent him, still a child, to the northern coast of Africa, outside the influence of the Roman Empire. Never having understood the true reasons for this choice, Lucio, the stronger he becomes, the more he sees his resentment grow, even though his mother’s reasons were noble. «There is a bit of the theme of Sophie’s choicethat of impossible situations that force us to make choices anyway,” says Nielsen. “There is an authoritarian power that disguises itself as the heir to the republican government. A farce, power games, in which human beings remain trapped. It is a trait that I always find intriguing in Ridley’s stories. He shows us the effect that power has on individuals and that happens in a place where power has no limits.”
Denzel Washington’s Macrinus is a lavishly wealthy arms dealer who keeps a stable of gladiators for sport.
Cuba Scott/Paramount Pictures.Mescal saw a meaning in the story that goes beyond the thrilling clash of swords, of men facing wild animals or engaging in mortal combat with their fellow men for the entertainment of the masses. “It’s about what human beings are willing to do to survive, or to win. We see it in the arena, but also in the political struggle that unfolds beyond my character, where we see other struggles for power. Where is the room for humanity? Where is the room for love, family ties? You wonder if they will ultimately prevail over greed and power. These are conflicts that frequently accompany human history.”
The actor talks about the script of the Gladiator 2 with more affection than Crowe ever showed for the original version of the first film. Crowe has said many times that he almost walked away from the film because he felt there were so few pages of it that were truly good. He said that he and Scott reworked the story during filming, turning it into the hit that eventually made it to the big screen. Asked if he remembered those comments, Nielsen laughs and says, “I remember how Russell felt. I remember him definitely having opinions and feelings.”
Connie Nielsen returns as Lucilla, the mother of Lucius, who was just a boy in the first film. “Lucilla has one weakness: her child,” says Nielsen.
Cuba Scott/Paramount Pictures.“Ridley’s creative process tends to be extremely collaborative,” he adds. «He is very open to suggestions and ideas, and this is what makes him a dream director. He hears you, he sees you and I, for example, get up every morning with my list of ideas that I present to him and discuss with him. I know I’ll be able to bring some things home. For others he will continue to follow his instinct. It was like this for too Gladiator 1. That’s why he has no problem dealing with someone like Russell who says “There are only 23 usable pages.” Another director would have easily sent him to hell.”
