Intimidated by her famous co-star, the headliner of “Gladiator 2” did not dare speak to her before filming…
Paul Mescal is the lead for the Gladiator sequel and will have Pedro Pascal as a co-star. The actor revealed on the acclaimed series Normal People and nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a troubled father in the drama Aftersun, reflects on his first interaction with the hero of The Mandalorian and The Last Of Us and why the sequel to the film directed by Ridley Scott stresses him out.
In this second part, Paul Mescal will reprise the role of Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), Maximus’ former lover and Commodus’ sister – a role the young Spencer Treat Clark played in the original 2000 film. And before filming begins, he thus crossed Pedro Pascalalso starring in the film, at the Los Angeles airport but was “too scared” to approach him: it was therefore the latter who came to him.
He returns to this anecdote in an interview with Esquire (via Deadline) conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike.
He came and seemed so genuine. I really look forward to spending time with him.
A STRESSFUL PROJECT
Although filming for Gladiator 2 was halted due to the ongoing cast strike, Paul Mescal also said at the time that he was nervous about not revealing anything about the project.
I can’t talk about that! I can’t tell you how stressed I am talking about this particular movie, because it’s definitely the biggest one I’ve done. I feel really excited but it’s hard to get away from the film’s legacy a bit.
He went on to reveal that this second installment would be a tribute to the original: “I think it’s really well written and pays homage to the first one, but it’s really something I think I can slip into and feel I can comfortably own.”
Paul Mescal also noted that he had never spoken to the star of GladiatorRussell Crowe: “I don’t know what we would talk about. I would love to hear his stories while filming, but the character is totally separate.”
Gladiator 2 is slated for release on November 20, 2024. In the meantime, the first installment is available to stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.