In a new interview with Extra, Paul Mescal explained why he didn’t ask Russell Crowe for advice on ‘Gladiator 2.’
“You know what, I didn’t think about that bit until now. When I read the script I was like, ‘Oh, Lucius is a different entity,'” the actor said. “I think what I would love to discuss with Russell is the trade war stories having completed things that are…we’ve gone through similar experiences with it.”
He added, “But I felt confident in having Ridley at the helm and the way I work as an actor… because ultimately, I have to stand behind this entirely by myself. There’s no excuses. You can’t rely on anybody beyond the script and the director and yourself. So you’ve got to become an island unto yourself I think.”
Crowe’s Maximus died in ‘Gladiator,’ but his legacy continues in ‘Gladiator 2,’ which follows his son, Lucius, as he becomes a fighter in the Colosseum. The original film is one of Ridley Scott’s most loved, and Crowe won the Oscar for Best Actor.
“It was unbelievable, an absolute honor. Ridley [Scott] is the king, especially in that format and that kind of scale of film,” Mescal previously said of the project. “I’m incredibly excited and proud of the work that we did together. Now it’s just waiting on bated breath.”
Mescal worked with Denzel Washington in the film. “I built it up in my head,” the actor shared about working with Washington. “I was like, ‘Okay, today’s the day that Denzel’s going to be on set.’ And I was so incapacitated by it that I suddenly was like, ‘This is so f*cking stupid. I have a job to do.'”
Washington explained, “[Mescal] knows what he’s doing, he knows how to do it. It’s easy to work off of him because he’s giving you something. There’s a quiet dignity and a strength and intelligence that he has, even just when he’s standing there.”
‘Gladiator 2’ is set to release on November 14, 2024, in Australia and New Zealand, November 15 in the United Kingdom, and November 22 in the United States.
