The first pictures of Paul Mescal starring in the Gladiator sequel, have been released.
Mescal will play the lead Lucius in the much anticipated sequel. Lucius is the son of Lucilla, and nephew of villainous, patricidal Emperor Commodus. Check out some photos here.
Gladiator II is directed by Ridley Scott, which was first announced in 2018, with Normal People star Mescal casted in the lead role last year, as he is forced to fight for survival in an increasingly corrupt Rome, which is under the rule of tyrannical general Acacius
Last October, Ridley Scott was full of praise for Mescal, convinced that he has a bright future ahead. More on this here.
The original epic was released in 2000, and saw actor Russell Crowe scoop up an Oscar for his portrayal of Maximus.
Last year, Russell Crowe wished Mescal well ahead of the sequel, hailing the Irish actor as a “good dude”.
“I hear that young fella Paul is a good dude and I wish him the best of luck with it”, Crowe said.“I think where they’re picking the story up from, a young Lucius, stepping into the role of emperor, I think that’s a very smart idea within the world of the film that we created”.
If The Face Fits
Speaking about Gladiator II, Paul Mescal remarked that his facial features are a perfect fit for the role.
“My nose just is kind of Roman”, Mescal said. “So it’s useful in this context. The nose that I absolutely hated when I was in secondary school—and used to get ribbed for—became very, very useful when Ridley needed somebody to be in Gladiator II”.
Elsewhere, Mescal also explained that director Ridley was so convinced about his fitness for the role, that he did not even go through a camera test.
“I wanted to get a flavour from him about what the story was going to be about, so we spent about 15 minutes talking about that, and then we spent another 10 minutes talking about the sport that I played growing up – Gaelic football”, Mescal revealed.
He continued: “Maybe that was something that helped with it, in that I’m used to being physical in my body”.
“I just wanted to be big and strong and look like somebody who can cause a bit of damage when s*** hits the fan”, the Kildare native added. “I think also, sometimes, one could, in striving for that perfect look, end up looking more like an underwear model than a warrior”.
Gladiator II will also see Mescal star alongside Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington. It is to hit cinema screens on November 22.
You can see more photos of Mescal in Gladiator II here.
