Paul Mescal has revealed two vices he refused to give up while working with a trainer to get in tip-top physical shape for Gladiator 2.
The Normal People star, 28, leads Ridley Scott’s long-awaited Gladiator sequel, out in US theaters on November 22, alongside Pedro Pascal.
Appearing on Friday’s (October 25) episode of The Graham Norton Show to promote the movie, Mescal spoke about the intense training he underwent for his portrayal of Lucius.
“I was working with a trainer who circled me like a shark and said, ‘There is a canvas to work with,’” the Iris actor said. “He went to town, and I saw him every day. It was fun.”
Sharing that he did “everything” the trainer asked of him, including eating “a lot of chicken and [lifting] heavy things,” he admitted that when it came to the expectation of giving up drinking and smoking cigarettes, Mescal “drew a line in the sand where those were concerned.”
Set over two decades after the events featured in Scott’s 2000 epic, originally starring Russell Crowe as Roman General Maximus and Joaquin Phoenix as Roman Emporer Commodus, Gladiator II sees Mescal’s Maximus enter the Colosseum to fight back against the powerful emperors who’ve conquered his home.
Early critical reactions have already rolled in following the movie’s Los Angeles premiere on October 18, with several critics predicting an Oscar nomination for Denzel Washington, who portrays army arms dealer Macrinus.
“Gladiator II isn’t just arguably the best film of the year, it’s one of the best of all-time. It’s one of those films that will reinvigorate your love for cinema. It defies expectations, the performances are outstanding (Denzel just locked in another Oscar),” presenter Matt Ramos tweeted.
Elsewhere in The Graham Norton Show interview, Mescal revealed that he was offered the role immediately after a 30-minute Zoom call with Scott.
“Ridley does not waste time,” he said. “I thought there would be camera tests and auditions, but we Zoomed for half an hour, spoke for 10 mins about the part, and then 20 minutes about Gaelic football, his dog and his wife.”
Last year, studio executives revealed that Mescal’s shirtless scenes in the West End production of A Streetcar Named Desire convinced them he was perfect for the Gladiator II role.
“He played Stanley, and there are several moments where he takes off his shirt and it was electric,” Paramount co-head Daria Cercek told Variety last July. It was after watching those scenes that made “the ladies” in the audience “very vocal” that Cercek and her co-head Michael Ireland agreed they had “found our guy.”
Gladiator II will be released in UK theaters on November 15, followed by a US theatrical release on November 22.
