Paul Mescal may be gearing up for battle in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2, but the Oscar-nominated star doesn’t want to talk about his workouts. The Aftersun actor was quizzed about his physical transformation for the part in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
"With films like this and superhero films, there is sometimes a focus on that," Mescal replied, "which I don’t find that interesting. Of course, there’s a physical robustness required for the character, but past that, I’m not interested. This guy’s got to fight and got to be a beast. And whatever that looks and feels like is right for me, is what it’s going to be. Sometimes I see films and I’m like, 'That person doesn’t look real.'"
During the interview, the Normal People star also confirmed that production begins on Gladiator 2 this summer in Europe. Scott handpicked Mescal for the lead role of Lucius, the nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix’s character in the 2000 original movie). "I’m so proud I get to make it," he added. "It’s an intimidating feat. It’s something I’m nervous about but something I feel like I can do."
First of all, Mescal has the Oscars where he is nominated for the Best Actor award after his leading role in Charlotte Wells’ debut Aftersun. For what Mescal and his co-star Frankie Corio had to say about the movie, check out our interview with them. We’ve also broken down all of our Oscars 2023 predictions and rounded up how to watch the Best Picture nominees.