Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and Paul Mescal are all rightly singing the praises of Gladiator II’s director, Ridley Scott. The trio of talented actors all attended the film’s first significant screening on the Paramount Pictures lot last Friday in Los Angeles, and they talked up their leader despite his absence. Washington told those in attendance at a special Q&A that Ridley “built Rome.” And when the moderator asked Washington why he agreed to star in the sword-and-sandal sequel, the A-lister succinctly answered (per Variety):
“It’s Ridley. It’s Gladiator. It’s: ‘Yes.’”
Washington didn’t appear in the original Gladiator (2000), but his character Macrinus plays an integral role in the long-awaited sequel. And Washington goes way back with Scott. The duo collaborated together on 2007’s American Gangster, which coincidentally starred Gladiator’s Maximus Decimus Meridius himself, Russell Crowe, too. However, when it finally came time for Washington to slip into the role of the power-hungry Macrinus in Gladiator II, it was an easy fit thanks in large part to Scott. Washington said during the same Q&A:
“He built Rome, so all we had to do was put the clothes on and start talking. It was play. You know, it’s fun. Just put the gear on and go. That’s the way I looked at it. I’m like, I’m putting this dress on, these rings, and I’m going crazy.”
Ridley Scott Receives Nothing but Praise from His Stars
Gladiator II’s first reactions are quite promising, and those reviews even include a bit of Oscar buzz, particularly for star Denzel Washington. For Connie Nielsen, though reprising her role as the daughter of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius was an easy task thanks to director Ridley Scott’s experience behind the camera. The actress who portrays the lovely Lucilla said during the screening’s same Q&A:
“This time around, what would have taken three hours to set up 25 years ago now takes 20 minutes. That is despite the fact that you’re talking 3,000 extras, enormous vehicles, insane setups. We could not believe how fast we were moving.”
Meanwhile, Paul Mescal was tasked with the awesome responsibility of portraying Maximus’ adult son, Lucius, in Gladiator II. The up-and-coming actor shares plenty of screen time with his mother Lucilla, of course, but Lucius must also match wits with Washington’s conniving Macrinus, who intends to use the young warrior as his “instrument.” However, Mescal was a bundle of nerves when he realized that he’d be working so closely with both Washington and Scott. Mescal elaborated during the screening’s Q&A:
“I was smoking a cigarette, and we were kind of marching around the place. And Ridley comes in with a cigar, just sitting there. I was absolutely shi*ing myself, and he looks at me [and] goes, ‘You nervous?’ He’s like, ‘Your nerves are no fuc*ing good to me.’”
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Like Washington and Nielsen, though, Mescal clearly enjoyed working with Scott, after the nervousness of working with such a Hollywood icon finally passed. And Mescal praised the director accordingly, even referring to Scott “as his friend.” Mescal continued by saying of the Gladiator journeyman:
“I think this film wears the legacy of the first film with intense pride and honor. It’s made by the only man who could ever touch it in Ridley Scott. Personally, as his friend and his long admirer, I think is one of his finest pieces of work that I’ve seen in recent times.”
Gladiator II doesn’t even drop into theaters until November 22, and Ridley Scott is already brainstorming Gladiator III. So, it’s clear the Oscar-nominated filmmaker isn’t going to start resting on his laurels at this point in his illustrious career. The 86-year-old has a half-dozen other upcoming projects in various stages of development, which are all coming on the heels of 2023’s Napoleon and 2021’s House of Gucci. But Gladiator II already promises to be more well-received by the critics than Scott’s most recent creative efforts.