Denzel Washington portrays Macrinus, a former gladiator turned wealthy arms dealer aiming to take over Rome, in ‘Gladiator II’. The character takes inspiration from history as well as a contemporary political figure, according to director Ridley Scott.
While explaining the character’s backstory, Scott recently told The Hollywood Reporter, “[Macrinus] was a prisoner of war — probably at a North African state — and actually was taken to Rome probably as a gladiator. Survived. Got free. Got into the business of maybe making wine and bread. He evolved into a very rich merchant selling shit to the Roman armies — food, oil, wine, cloth, weapons, everything. He maybe had a million men spread around Europe. So, he was a billionaire at the time, so, why wouldn’t he [have ambitions toward the throne]? ‘Why not me?’ He’s also a gangster — very close to Trump. A clever gangster. He creates chaos and from chaos he can evolve.”
The sequel premiered in Sydney, Australia, on October 30, 2024, and had a special screening earlier in the month on the Paramount lot with the film’s cast and crew present.
At one of these events, Washington described his character, saying, “He’s trying to use everybody. He’d use his mother, he’d use his own children; he’s already used up his soul, so he didn’t have any left. He’s in bed with the devil.”
Washington recently also brought up a deleted scene involving a same-sex kiss that did not make it into the film’s final cut. Scott clarified that the scene was rehearsed but not filmed, and the actor later downplayed it, calling it ‘a peck’ and considering the reaction to it as overblown.
‘Gladiator II’, starring Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal alongside Washington, opened in U.S. theaters this weekend. Scott has already begun work on a follow-up to the film.
