There are still quite a few 2024 movies set to do battle at the box office through the closing months of the year. What we know about Gladiator II has director Ridley Scott’s legacy-quel poised to be one of the most hotly anticipated of the bunch, with actors Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington now joining that fan-favorite world.
So of course the All of Us Strangers heartbreaker was going to be “incapacitated” with nerves when acting alongside an Oscar winning legend like Mr. Washington. However, the American Gangster himself has nothing but love for his scene partner, and the compliment given from legend to rising talent is an effective piece of hype.
Paul Mescal’s Gladiator II Memory Of Being Nervous With Denzel Washington
As GQ hyped up the Gladiator sequel’s November release, both gentlemen mentioned above had a chance to comment on their shared experience as co-stars. I can’t fault Paul Mescal for what he remembers doing before his first on-camera sit down with Denzel Washington. Here’s how the Ordinary People star remembers those nerves, and how he shook himself out:
I built it up in my head. I was like, ‘Okay, today’s the day that Denzel’s going to be on set.’ And I was so incapacitated by it that I suddenly was like, ‘This is so fucking stupid. I have a job to do.’
– Paul Mescal, GQ
If we’re admitting the first Gladiator II trailer as evidence, then I think Mr. Mescal has done a terrific job of getting himself together in time to play the adult version of Lucius. At least, that’s what it looks like when you’ve got the spiritual successor to Russell Crowe’s Maximus looking to claim the head of a Roman general. The work was definitely worth it though, as in this very same profile, Denzel Washington sent some serious praise over his way.
How Denzel Washington Rates His Gladiator II Co-star’s Acting Chops
No one would be blamed if they needed a special sort of psyching up to work with Mr. Washington, as he’s naturally considered to be one of the finest actors in the business. That mythic image cultivated through the most iconic Denzel Washington movies works both ways though, as someone as astute as The Equalizer film series lead knows exactly what it takes to make it as a true thespian.
It’s because of that unique knowledge that Washington’s regard of Paul Mescal’s Gladiator II acting process in the following regard sparkles even brighter when reading it:
[He] knows what he’s doing, he knows how to do it. It’s easy to work off of him because he’s giving you something. There’s a quiet dignity and a strength and intelligence that he has, even just when he’s standing there.
– Denzel Washington, GQ
With respect like that, one can see how Paul Mescal got his ship together and sailed into this Roman action-drama like a champ. Though it also helps that he had Ridley Scott’s blunt Gladiator II advice keeping him honest on set as well. It also most surely counts for something if an actor can take notes from Scott and use them to push even further into greatness; something that Denzel Washington also shares with his younger scene partner.
Gladiator II takes the battlefield with strength and honor in theaters on November 22nd. If you’re longing for the historical battles that Russell Crowe’s Maximius Decimus Meridius fought in the epic past, Gladiator is still available to stream at the moment through access to a Paramount+ subscription.
