Denzel Washington has explained the decision to use his own accent in Gladiator IIsharing he didn’t want to do a poor “imitation.”
The eagerly anticipated sequel, which comes 24 years after its predecessor, follows Lucius (Paul Mescal) – the former heir to the Roman Empire – as he becomes a gladiator after his home is invaded.
With director Ridley Scott returning, he enlisted the help of Washington – with whom he collaborated with for American Gangster – for the role of Macrinus, a former slave turned power broker who attempts to eventually take control of Rome.
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Though the character hails from North Africa, the first trailer for the historical epic showed that Washington was using his own accent for the role, with the star explaining his decision in an interview with Empire Magazine.
“Well, the thing was, where are we?” he remarked. “Whose accent would it be? What does that sound like anyway? You’re going to end up imitating someone and end up with a bad African accent.”
Washington, who was a long-time collaborator of Ridley’s late brother Tony, also spoke about his motivation for joining the project, explaining in a previous interview with Empire: “There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in.
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“I have to be inspired by the filmmaker, and I was tremendously inspired by Ridley. We had a great go-round the first go-round, and here we are. He’s engaged. He’s excited about life and his next film. He’s an inspiration. We should all want to feel like that at 86.”
In addition to Mescal and Washington, Gladiator II also stars Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, with Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi reprising their respective roles of Lucilla and Senator Gracchus from the original film.
Gladiator II will be released in cinemas on November 15 in the UK and November 22 in the US.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
