Paul Mescal has discussed the physical preparation he underwent for Gladiator 2, revealing he wanted his character appear to “big and strong” on-screen but not an “underwear model”.
The Irish actor plays Lucius Verus in the sequel, the grown-up son of Lucilla, who was portrayed as a child in the original 2000 Oscar-winning film starring Russell Crowe.
The 28-year-old explained that he aimed to embody someone “who cause a bit of damage”.
He told Vanity Fair: “I just wanted to be big and strong and look like somebody who can cause a bit of damage when s**t hits the fan.
“I think also, sometimes, one could, in striving for that perfect look, end up looking more like an underwear model than a warrior.
“Muscles start to grow, and that can be deemed aesthetic in certain capacities, but there is something about feeling strong in your body that elicits just a different feeling.”
The All of Us Strangers remarked that he carried himself “differently” with more muscle and felt it had a positive impact on him “psychologically” that benefited the film.
The sequel focuses on Mescal’s character, the nephew of Commodus and son of Maximus's former lover Lucilla, played by Connie Nielsen.
Set after Maximus' death, the story revolves around Lucius, who discovers his mother is alive when he is brought to Rome as a slave, despite believing her dead for years.
Joining the cast are Joseph Quinn as Emperor Caracalla and Fred Hechinger as Emperor Greta, portraying brothers who oversee a crumbling and morally compromised Rome.
Additionally, returning to the Gladiator franchise are Nielsen as Lucilla and Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus.
In April, critics raved about Sir Ridley Scott's Gladiator sequel after footage from the highly-anticipated film was screened behind closed doors at CinemaCon.
Sharing a video message prior to the teaser trailer, Scott told those at the annual event in Las Vegas: “It is possibly even more extraordinary than the first. [It] is well worth the wait.”
According to Variety, the CinemaCon trailer showed Mescal “face off against a charging rhino, a horde of vicious baboons, and Pedro Pascal, among other threats to his chiseled physique”.
Film critics who were in attendance at the annual event took to X, formerly Twitter, to rave about the film – and shared their excitement for its release on November 22
Gizmodo reporter Germain Lussier wrote: “Well, the first #Gladiator 2 footage was instantly the best thing I've seen so far at #CinemaCon. Every bit as epic and bloody as you're expecting. Just massive.”
“First look at GLADIATOR II: five mins of seriously ripped Paul Mescal, spit-talking Joseph Quinn taking over Joaquin Phoenix bad-guy duties, Pedro Pascal as reluctant authority figure, Denzel in mentor role, plus gladiators fighting sharks, rabid baboons, even a rhino,” shared The Globe and Mail film editor Barry Hertz.
Daniel Baptista, host of The Movie Podcast, penned: “Joseph Quinn is truly vile and sinister in Gladiator II footage. We are not ready.”
