Five things to know about “Gladiator II”

24 years ago, Russell Crowe wowed moviegoers (and won the Oscar) as Maximus Meridius. Today, Ridley Scott jumps into the arena again with Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington and Connie Nielsen.

History

The screenplay by David Scarpa, regular collaborator of Ridley Scott, takes moviegoers back to ancient Rome, 18 years after the event of the first part. Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal), son of Maximus, lives with his wife and son in a town in Numidia. Taken prisoner by the army of Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), now married to Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), and then handed over to Macrinus (Denzel Washington), responsible for the gladiators, he swears – obviously – to take revenge.

The emperors

Ridley Scott has been criticized for the way he depicts ancient Rome, with many historians pointing out errors. But the filmmaker insisted on the fact that the two emperors Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn), “people damaged from birth” did indeed reign, “almost like a repeat of Romulus and Remus”. Of his character, Fred Hechinger insisted on the notion of “danger and unpredictability. It was important to Ridley that the film spoke about the past in a present-day way.” Both actors took inspiration from Beavis and Butt-Head as well as Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious.

A quarter of a century

Connie Nielsen plays Lucilla again. “She is still alive to legitimize the presence of emperors on the throne. On a personal level, she had to give up her son to keep him alive,” the actress told American media. “Ridley shows the excesses of the last 18 years, the excesses of the circus games, the grandeur of the Empire, but also the excesses of misery, darkness and cruelty of Rome.” To prepare for filming, the actress immersed herself in The Rubiconsthe work of Tom Holland. “The book is fascinating because it focuses on the intimate lives of the people who participated in the fall of the Republic and their motivations.”

The legacy of the first Gladiator

“The first film is very profound and it has a very special place in the hearts and minds of many people,” said Paul Mescal. We cannot avoid the first part, and the scenario of the second contains unmissable references, such as the fact that Lucius rubs the earth of the Colosseum between his hands, this kind of DNA that he inherits. I remember reading the script and focusing on the scene where Lucius puts on Maximus’ armor. And this scene is written as if he becomes Maximus. Of the filming with Ridley Scott, which took place in Malta, the actor emphasized: “We know exactly where we stand with Ridley, he is completely transparent. When he doesn’t like something, he says it. Right before filming started, he came up next to me, gave me a big slap on the back and told me that if I was nervous, I was useless to him. It’s the best advice he gave me.”

The general

“So many things interested me about this movie, but the two main ones were Ridley Scott and the first part. I saw Gladiator many times in cinemas upon its release. Ridley is the only director whose films are in my personal top 10, I would have played any character under his direction,” explained Pedro Pascal.

Gladiator II hits provincial screens on November 22.