Fifteen years have passed since Lucius saw his uncle Commodus and his father Maximus die in the Colosseum arena. In Gladiator 2this boy has become an adult who follows the same path as Russell Crowe's character in Gladiator: from free man to slave, he becomes a gladiator. In our world, fans had to wait 24 years to see Ridley Scott's sequel, and this now-adult boy is not the one who brought Lucius to life in the first part.
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Ridley Scott explains why he didn't reprise Spencer Treat Clark
Spencer Treat Clark played Lucila's son in Gladiatorbut Scott decided to use another actor in Gladiator 2 : Paul Mescal. The filmmaker revealed to Deadline in November 2023 why Clark was not allowed to reprise the role of Lucius in the sequel, even though he continued to work as an actor. “I'm always looking for someone, something new and fresh“, said Ridley Scott. “I mean freshness is terribly important. They have no baggage, it's a terrible word to describe what they did before, because it's very good, but you will remember that he played this character before“. The fact that Spencer Treat Clark has just celebrated his 37th birthday, while his character is supposed to be 29 years old in the film, is surely a factor that also counted in the eyes of the director.
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Ridley Scott discovered Paul Mescal while looking for something to watch before bed and chose Normal People. The actor's performance in the adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel made an impression on him and he became the ideal candidate to play Lucius in Gladiator II.
The Paul Mescal choice validated by the original actor
It is true that Spencer Treat Clark continued to work as an actor, but Paul Mescal is a rising star and, let's not forget, cinema is an industry and it is easier to promote a product with a popular face than with a lesser known face. Paul Mescal was also nominated for an Academy Award for his work in After sun (2022). Without ever knowing us (2023), his last project before Gladiator IIalso received good reviews.
Spencer Treat Clark, meanwhile, recently starred in Max's adaptation of Stephen King's novel Salem. “The movie looks great and Paul is going to do a great job. In fact, I haven't stopped talking about it” he told People of his replacement.
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“It was 25 years ago. For some people to see me as an adult and say, 'My God, you're right. You were Lucius in Gladiator', it's really crazy. People forget, but I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie and seeing what Paul brings to the character“.
Article written in collaboration with our colleagues from Sensacine.
