Paul Mescal, the new star of the sequel to “Gladiator”, expected next November, 24 years after the first part, spoke about his physical transformation for the role, confiding that he wanted to put himself in the shoes of “a warrior”.
Feel the power. In an interview with Vanity Fair, actor Paul Mescal spoke about his role in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator 2,” the highly anticipated sequel to the first film, which starred Russell Crowe and was released 24 years ago. The actor, whose physical transformation has attracted attention recently, appearing very muscular in the first set photos released last June, discussed this body change, emphasizing that the goal was not to look like a model with defined muscles but rather a warrior.
“I just wanted to be big and strong and look like someone who can do some damage,” explained the 28-year-old actor, a rising Hollywood star who plays in this new opus the warrior and gladiator Lucius, son of Lucilla, again played by actress Connie Nielsen, and nephew of Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix in the first opus.
While his character wants to follow in the footsteps of Maximus, played by Russell Crowe in the first part, Paul Mescal wanted above all to experience the feeling of strength that an athletic body provides more than an aesthetic dimension, he emphasizes.
“I also think that sometimes, in the pursuit of the perfect look, you can end up looking more like an underwear model than a warrior.” He continues: “Muscles start to develop, which can be considered aesthetic in some cases, but there’s something about feeling strong in your body that creates a different feeling. You hold yourself differently,” he says. “It has a psychological impact that’s useful for the film,” concludes Paul Mescal, who went to the gym for several months to get into the skin of this warrior.
A role landed in just 30 minutes
In addition to his transformation, the actor also revealed how he landed the role. And this time, he convinced director Ridley Scott, who didn’t hesitate to cast him in the lead role of Gladiator 2, after seeing him in the series “Normal People.”
It only took a half-hour conversation to finally convince the director, the actor said. “We talked for 20 to 30 minutes. I wanted him to give me an idea of what the story was about, so we spent 15 minutes talking about that, and then another 10 minutes talking about the sport I played growing up, Gaelic football. Maybe that helped because I’m used to being physical in my body,” the actor told Vanity Fair.
“I remember two or three weeks later the offer came to me,” he continues, noting that “his sort of Roman nose,” which he says he hated when he was younger, “came in very, very handy when Ridley needed someone in ‘Gladiator 2.'”
Since then, filming, which began in June 2023, ended at the beginning of the year. The highly anticipated Gladiator 2 will be released in theaters on November 20. As a reminder, the first part, unveiled in June 2000, won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe.
