“Gladiator 2”: Ridley Scott says Paul Mescal was a “special find”

The British filmmaker Ridley Scott 80, said the Irish actor Paul Mescal 28, was a “special find” and “absolutely perfect” for the sequel “Gladiator ” (2000).

“When I watch something, I tend to notice who is interesting. It’s just in my DNA. And then watching a TV series [‘Pessoas Normais’] which is not my type of TV show for almost four years, I said, ‘Who is this guy?'” he said in an interview with Vanity Fair.

“I met with him, and he said, ‘Sure, I’d love to do that [estrelar ‘Gladiador 2’]. And that was it. We were out and running with the ball. He was a special find. He was absolutely perfect,” he stated.

Mescal also recalled his first meeting with the director in the magazine. According to him, the proposal to star in the film came a few weeks later.

“We talked for about 20 to 30 minutes. I wanted to know what the story was going to be about, so we spent about 15 minutes talking about that, and then we spent another 10 minutes talking about the sport I played growing up – Gaelic football,” he said.

“Maybe that helped, since I’m used to being physical in my body. My nose is kind of Roman, so it’s useful in this context. The nose that I absolutely hated when I was at school – and was made fun of for it – became extremely useful when Ridley needed someone to be in ‘Gladiator 2′”, he said.

“My recollection is that probably two or three weeks later [do encontro]the offer arrived”, he revealed.

The Irish actor rose to fame after starring in the series “Normal people” and the movie “Aftersun“ which earned him an Oscar nomination.

The first images of “Gladiator 2” were released this Monday (1st). The film is a sequel to the film starring Russell Crowe in 2000, in which Maximus, a powerful Roman general, awakens the wrath of Marcus Aurelius’s son before the emperor’s death. When the heir takes power, he is sentenced to death, however, he manages to escape and goes into hiding as a slave and gladiator while seeking revenge.

The new film will have a time jump and will have Mescal as the protagonist. In the plot, Lucius, son of Lucilla and nephew of Commodus, who was inspired by the Gladiator, is now Emperor. “Gladiator 2” hits theaters in November this year.

“Gladiator 2”: what we know about the sequel starring Paul Mescal

Both films are directed by Ridley Scott also known for directing “Alien, the Eighth Passenger” (1979) and “Prometheus” (2012).

See also: Paul Mescal is among Hollywood’s new darlings, see the list