It may have taken 23 years for Gladiator 2 to happen, but I have a feeling it will be well worth the wait to see fellow Oscar nominee Paul Mescal leading the sequel donning that armor. He’ll be playing Maximus' son Lucius who becomes a gladiator after his home is invaded by General Marcus Acacius’ army. Despite the trailer making Mescal’s fight scene with a rhinoceros look so flawless, there is one thing about filming the long-awaited sequel that the Irish actor will “forever be angry” at director Ridley Scott for.
Paul Mescal first made a name for himself working on smaller indie projects like All of Us Strangers and Aftersun. However, the large-scale sequel Gladiator 2 gave him a new set of challenges to learn from like tackling his nerves working with Denzel Washington on his first day and heavy action sequences. But, Mescal told GQ that there was one challenging thing about filming Gladiator 2 that he’ll “forever be angry” at director Ridley Scott for:
The only thing I will forever be angry at Ridley for is his deep desire to shoot at the fucking peak of summer, as a pasty Irish boy who does not do well in the heat, in armor, covered in fake tan and sweat, rolling around. Those fights were intense.
I don’t blame Paul Mescal in that sense. The Ireland native recently described the Colosseum scenes as “brutal” describing the arena as a “radiator” with the sandy floor being so hot. I can imagine that fake tan makeup having to keep getting reapplied in between takes. Then again, that aggression Mescal felt filming those scenes must have gone in handy going into character as a toughened gladiator.
As GQ explains Gladiator 2 is bigger and more violent than the original movie, which must mean the action sequences are much more intense. And here, I thought seeing Russell Crowe in the best picture-winning film fighting off tigers was intense enough. Now, we see his son, Lucius, having to go up against a rhinoceros! But as Ridley Scott promised we'll be seeing “the biggest action sequence” he’s ever shot, I’d like to believe all of the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the shooting was well worth it to deliver audiences action scenes they'll remember.
One thing that Paul Mescal and Russell Crowe have in common with their Gladiator experiences is being fearless in the Ancient Rome action scenes. The New Zealand actor said he was surprisingly good at doing his own stunts for the historical epic film because of his theatre background following dance choreography for musicals. The Normal People actor, on the other hand, has experience as a Gaelic football captain. So, it’s no wonder the 28-year-old actor knew how to get ripped for the role with his co-star, Joseph Quinn, saying he would not want to have a showdown with him at the gym. Now, that’s a real-life gladiator right there.
Paul Mescal may “forever be angry” at Ridley Scott for making him do fight sequences during the peak of summer, but he can’t deny that the experience made him a stronger actor. Now if he takes on any future action roles, he’ll know he’s survived the worst of battling Mother Nature’s strong sun while donning armor. Audiences will have the chance to see Mescal embracing the heat in Gladiator 2 with the 2024 movie release in theaters on November 22nd.
