The Irish actor Paul Mescal has revealed he was cast in Gladiator II after a 30-minute Zoom call with director Ridley Scott. Mescal, known for his roles in Normal People and Aftersun, is set to star alongside Denzel Washington in the sequel to the 2000 blockbuster, released next month.
Speaking to the BBC's Graham Norton about the casting process, Mescal joked: "Ridley does not waste time."
"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."
Mescal continued: "I thought there would be more, but he called a few weeks later to offer me the part.
"I think he just goes by instinct, on set and off, and I’m very glad that’s the way it went."
Of course, by the time Mescal spoke to Scott for the role, the director and film studio would already have been well aware of his acting abilities, box office power and popularity with awards voters.
The actor shot to fame in 2020 in the BBC adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel Normal People, which became an early TV hit of the lockdown pandemic.
He subsequently appeared in All of Us Strangers, Foe and The Lost Daughter, and was Oscar nominated for his performance in 2022's Aftersun.
In Gladiator II, Mescal plays the grandson of the emperor of Rome, played by Richard Harris in the first film.
Mescal's character Lucius is forced into slavery following an invasion by Roman soldiers, and must fight in the Colosseum as a gladiator to restore Rome's glory.
"I was working with a trainer who circled me like a shark... He went to town, and I saw him every day. It was fun."
Another of Norton's guests, Eddie Redmayne, also discussed his physical training for The Day of the Jackal, joking: "I profoundly disagree with Paul - it was not fun, it was horrendous."
The original Gladiator made $465m (£358m) globally and won five Oscars, including best picture and best actor for Russell Crowe.
Mescal's interview on The Graham Norton Show will be broadcast on Friday at 22:40 on BBC One and iPlayer.
Gladiator II's Epic Set Awe-Inspiring
Paul Mescal couldn't get over the epic scale of Ridley Scott's Rome set while shooting Gladiator II. The Irish actor, who gained fame for his roles in the TV show Normal People and independent films like Aftersun and The Lost Daughter, found himself completely immersed in the world of the film during filming.
After finding fame with the TV show Normal People and independent films like Aftersun and The Lost Daughter, Gladiator II marked Mescal’s first time working on a big-budget blockbuster.
The Irish actor was in complete awe when he stepped onto the set in Malta and found himself in Ancient Rome, complete with a partial recreation of the Colosseum.
Reflecting on the set, Mescal said on The Graham Norton Show on Friday, "The scale of the movie is so hard to fathom. It was insane and incredible. It was a mammoth of a film. It was so exciting, and I had to remind myself these roles don’t come along every day."
"Ridley does not waste time – 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," Mescal recalled. "I thought there would be more, but he called a few weeks later to offer me the part. I think he just goes by instinct on set and off and I’m very glad that’s the way it went."
After landing the part, the 28-year-old began a workout regimen to bulk up and sculpt a gladiator’s physique.
The All of Us Strangers star revealed he saw a trainer every day, ate a chicken-heavy diet and "lifted heavy things" – however, he refused to cut out two of his vices.
"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," he remembered. "I did everything he asked but I like to drink, and I like to smoke so I drew a line in the sand where those were concerned."
A New Era for Gladiator
Paul Mescal has revealed that he landed his role for Gladiator II after a 30-minute Zoom call with director Ridley Scott. The actor made the comments on the latest episode of The Graham Norton Show, which will air on BBC One tonight (October 25).
In the upcoming sequel, Mescal plays the grandson of Richard Harris’s Emperor Marcus Aurelius from the original film, who was killed by his son Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix.
On how he landed the role, Mescal told Norton: “Ridley does not waste time – 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.
“I thought there would be more, but he called a few weeks later to offer me the part. I think he just goes by instinct on set and off and I’m very glad that’s the way it went."
The 28-year-old stars alongside Denzel Washington, who also appeared on Norton’s show. Other cast members include Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn.
Scott’s original blockbuster was released in 2000 and starred Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Roman general who sets out to exact revenge on the corrupt Emperor Commodus, who murdered his family and enslaved him.
Earlier this month, Mescal revealed that he didn’t ask Crowe for advice before filming Gladiator II, admitting: “I wouldn’t know what to say. I think it’s also a mistake when people go, ‘This was Russell’s thing’. Russell had proven himself time and time again. And he proved himself time and time again after Gladiator. An amazing career like Russell has had wasn’t built by just Gladiator.”
The first screening of Gladiator II recently took place in Los Angeles in front of an audience of AMPAS and SAG voters yesterday, and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
"Apes! Sharks! Syphilitic emperors! ‘Gladiator II’ is some absolute sicko shit and Denzel Washington is relishing every. single. minute," wrote The LA Times’ Matt Brennan. "The ‘we are so back’ of bloody costume epics."
"#GladiatorII is the perfect continuation of the original & an epic story in its own right," added journalist Caitlin Tyrell. "A fantastic cast, but Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, & Paul Mescal are transcendent! Countless intense blood soaked fight sequences! @GladiatorMovie demands to be seen on the big screen!
Gladiator II hits cinemas on November 15 in the UK. In the US, it will arrive on November 22, the same day as Wicked.
