Paul Mescal tried to downplay his nervousness ahead of “Gladiator II.”
According to the lead star of the highly-anticipated sequel, director Ridley Scott advised him to leave his nerves at the door before starting production.
“The first thing [Ridley] said before filming was, ‘Your nerves are no fucking good to me,’ which is Ridley in a nutshell, but it’s the perfect thing to say because it’s so liberating,” Mescal told Total Film. “He’s totally right.”
The actor added that on the “very first day” of production, there were a “couple of hundred to a thousand SAs [supporting artists/extras], with fires burning, and the walls of Morocco, I was like, ‘Ooh – this is fucking big.’”
The sets from the first “Gladiator” film were also reconstructed for the sequel, which takes place 20 years after the events of the 2000 original. Yet Mescal didn’t feel the need to watch “Gladiator” before taking on the role of Lucius, who is the son of Russell Crowe‘s late character Maximus.
“I didn’t watch it after I was cast, and then watched it on New Year’s Day with my friends, which was amazing…And there’s nothing really to be gained [by studying it in preparation] as it’s a different character,” Mescal said.
He added of Crowe’s Oscar-winning performance, “I think the legacy he’s left with that first film is extraordinary. I think I was consciously trying to get out of my head, like, the projections that people might have of what this film means.”
Mescal previously told Esquire that he was “stressed” about “Gladiator II” since it’s the “biggest” film he’s ever starred in.
“I can’t tell you how stressed I am talking about that film in particular, because it’s definitely the biggest one I’ve done,” Mescal said. “I feel really excited, but, like, it’s difficult to get away from the legacy of the film a bit. I think it’s really well written and it pays homage to the first one, but it’s very much something that I think I can step into and make comfortably my own.”
He later told The Sunday Times that “Gladiator II” will most likely be a turning point in his career, especially when it comes to dealing with fame.
“I don’t know what the difference will be. Maybe that’s naïve? Is it just that more people will stop you in the street?” Mescal asked. “I’d get profoundly depressed if that’s so and hope it isn’t true. I’ll have an answer next year, but if [the film] impacts my life in that way, I’ll be in a bad spot.”
