- In the wake of Sydneyโs red carpet world premiere, BH recently sat down to interview Paul Mescal, Connie Nielsen, and Fred Hechinger about Gladiator 2 (stylised as Gladiator II).
- The sequel to the Academy Award-winning original follows Mescalโs Lucius Verus Aurelius, who finds himself in the Colosseum during a time of crisis in Romeโs imperial history.
- Gladiator II officially hits Australian cinemas on November 14th, 2024.
For men of a certain age, Ridley Scottโs Gladiator is held in such reverence that itโs practically a religion โ and to produce a sequel is essentially to be tasked with elaborating upon Academy Award-winning perfection.
Naturally, the elation of being canonised as Lucius Verus Aurelius (Maximus-related parentage plot twist and all), within a filmic mythology deemed sacrosanct, quickly filled Paul Mescal with dread.
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โThatโs what itโs always like. The thrill of being cast in something is quickly followed by intense introspection and fear. And I think this was magnified somewhat given itโs Gladiator,โ laughed Paul Mescal.
So what was it like for budding young actors whoโd ostensibly grown up on a steady diet of Ridley Scott to be directed by the celebrated auteur himself?
โHeโs wickedly intelligent, heโs so funny. He has this deep love veiled behind this hard exterior. The fact that we get to sit here and call him a friend of ours is the most bizarre thing to come out of this for me,โ Mescal continued.
โI couldnโt have wished that in any version of my wildest dreams.โ
Fred Hechinger, who portrays the campily demented Co-Emperor Caracalla in this swords-and-sandals epic, explained: โHis sense of humour really surprised meโฆ it creates a warmth thatโs just special. Like you walk on set and immediately, heโs got the most excitement of any person.โ
As if heโs making his first-ever film โeven though heโs working with 12 cameras and the largest crew Iโve ever seen,โ Hechinger continued. Which prompted Paul Mescal to break out a gruff impressionโฆ
โHe says, โAnybody can use a camera, itโs knowing where to f**king put them.โโ
By all accounts, Ridley Scottโs process hasnโt exactly changed since he was directing Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, and Connie Nielsen โ the latter of whom reprises her role as Lucilla, noblewoman and mother of both Spencer Treat Clark and Mescalโs Lucius, after a quarter-century.
โHeโs the classic Ridley, however, technology has changed the time it takes Ridley to do things. And itโs also broadened his scope of opportunities in a way thatโs almost insaneโฆ things that he absolutely could not do with number one,โ Ms Nielsen told BH.
โNow he can do double as much in half the time.โ
โIt took 52 days to do Gladiator II, but he was able to create a scale and spectacles that were technically impossible 25 years agoโฆ At the same time, itโs giving you 18 years of story thatโs matured all of these events. Almost like the fates have brought it all together.โ
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You can catch the much-anticipated Gladiator 2 starting tomorrow (November 14th, 2024) โ check out a highlight cut of the cast interview above and the trailer below.
To read our more extensive chat with leading man Paul Mescal, keep an eye out for Vol. 3 of B.H. Magazine (available from early 2025).
