Ridley Scott’s eagerly awaited sequel to the action blockbuster Gladiator won’t hit theaters until November 22nd, but fans of the franchise can expect an early treat from Gladiator 2 star Pedro Pascal, who appeared yesterday in an interview with behind-the-scenes details about his experiences training for the film. At 49, Pascal revealed his struggle to get into shape, which he said differed drastically from co-star Paul Mescal’s far more brutal training regimen, described by Mescal as “fun.”
With just over 20 years separating Pascal and Mescal, it’s no wonder the stars of Gladiator 2 prepared for the film in very different ways. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Pascal reported that, although he was not explicitly instructed to bulk up, he chose to do so, hoping that it would prevent injuries on-set (spoiler alert: it didn’t). While co-star Connie Nielsen — reprising her role from the original Gladiator — opined that Pascal looked “very impressive” as a result of his training, director Ridley Scott offered a far less enthusiastic response: upon seeing Pascal, Scott simply commented, “Oh, your belly is gone.” However, Pascal added that his training wasn’t entirely in vain, saying that Scott would typically require his actors to film battle sequences from start to finish, which meant that everything had to be in place.
“I used to be able to wake up and do that stuff, but things have changed, and so I knew I wanted to be able to do those things. So I trained and rehearsed obviously a lot to be able to do it.”
Mescal, however, opted for a slightly different route when preparing for Gladiator 2. He had previously described the process of physical training to Pascal as “fun,” which prompted Pascal to respond: “Yeah, I bet it was. I bet it was fun for him. Maybe it would’ve been fun for me too, if I was 20 years younger.” But Mescal also admitted that he refused to give up drinking and smoking during his training, which may have contributed to some of his enjoyment. “I ate a lot of chicken and lifted heavy things,” Mescal reported. “I was working with a trainer who circled me like a shark and said, ‘There is a canvas to work with.’ He went to town, and I saw him every day. It was fun.”
Will Gladiator 2 Match the Success of the Original?
With a star-studded cast and several positive reviews from early screenings, the future of Gladiator 2 certainly looks bright. Though Nielsen is making her second appearance in the franchise, Pascal and Mescal, alongside the legendary Denzel Washington, are all new additions that promise an original and exciting story despite the film’s familiar setting. First reactions praised Gladiator 2 as Scott’s best work in years, praising Washington’s vicious performance as the movie’s central villain, and celebrating the powerhouse trio at the heart of the film. Although other reviewers reported that Gladiator 2 lacked the emotional resonance of the original, these criticisms appeared few and far between, with the majority of comments considering Gladiator 2 to be worthy of its Oscar-winning predecessor.
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So there’s a café. Big deal.
For Pascal, however, Gladiator 2 is far from his most exciting project. Season 2 of the post-apocalyptic thriller The Last of Us has been highly anticipated by fans ever since the widespread success of its debut in 2023. In August, one of the show’s writers announced via X that the second season had finally wrapped filming, meaning that fans should see Joel and Ellie back in action soon. In the meantime, Pascal has also lent his talents to Dreamworks’ The Wild Robot, which is still in theaters racking up impressive box office numbers.
