“I have never participated in such a big project”: Denzel Washington, starring in “Gladiator II”, speaks on the set of TF1’s 8 p.m.

Seventeen years after the acclaimed American Gangster, Denzel Washington returns to the camera of director Ridley Scott, who gave him the role of Macrinus, a wealthy arms dealer, in Gladiator II , the sequel to the Oscar-winning epic, in theaters this Wednesday, November 13. Twenty-four years after the first film, this highly anticipated epic feature film follows the adventures of Lucius, a young gladiator firmly determined to avenge Maximus, the hero of the first opus played by Australian Russell Crowe, who won the title in 2001. Oscar for best actor for this role.

Guest of TF1's 8 p.m. this Sunday, Denzel Washington spoke at length about the complex and ambiguous role that is his in Gladiator II. And the 69-year-old American actor affirms it: this is the greatest film in which he has played.

“The team reconstructed Rome”

“I have never acted in a film that cost hundreds of millions of dollars”assures the double Oscar-winning actor (an interview can be found in the video at the top of this article). The budget of the blockbuster, shot between Morocco, Malta and the United Kingdom, would indeed amount to 250 million euros, one of the biggest budgets of the year. “I have never participated in such a big project”admits Denzel Washington, who has not hidden his admiration for the rich sets designed by the Australian director's team.

“It was incredible. The team recreated Rome (…), and not just on a green screen. It helps a lot for an actor. You do your job, you put on your costume, and you arrive in this set and everything what you see is Rome”estimates the actor Malcolm X et Philadelphia.

A “completely crazy” character

After having, during his long career, played heroes, anti-heroes, intellectuals and men of action, Denzel Washington was this time able to lend his features to a completely different type of character. A Macrinus “completely crazy”Who “wants to kill everyone, sleep with everyone, and above all dominate”.

Ridley Scott was indeed looking for a real villain for this sequel. And Denzel Washington did not hesitate for a second to follow the filmmaker when he asked him to do so. “He called me, he said, 'Denzel, I want to do Gladiator II and I want you to do it, read the script.' I told him: 'Stop right there, when do I start, I'm ready, see you on set!'” he remembers today.

A major challenge

In Gladiator IIthe character of Macrinus impresses with his sumptuous fabrics and numerous accessories. “They brought me a whole bunch of rings, and I started putting them all on.”recalls Denzel Washington, who insists that “everything is excessive in this character”. “I think they said to themselves: 'Let's give him lots of props, he'll do the rest, he'll invent things'”, slips the American.

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His main challenge as Macrinus? “Learn to walk in a dress”he reveals bluntly. Before admitting: “There were times when I got tripped and tripped.”