Paul Mescal (L); Russell Crowe inGladiator(2000).Photo: Taylor Hill/WireImage; Dreamworks/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock
Paul Mescalhas quite a convincing leading-man torso.
TheOscarnominee recently nabbed a starring role inGladiator 2, the long-awaited sequel toRidley Scott’s 2000 epic starringRussell Crowe. And according to the powers that be, a certain body-baring performance helped him get cast.
“He played Stanley, and there are several moments where he takes off his shirt and it was electric,” Cercek told the outlet. “The ladies in the audience were very vocal, and we were like, ‘I think we’ve found our guy.' "
Mescal, whose casting was first reported in January, will portray Lucius, the son of the originalGladiator’s Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and villain Commodus' (Joaquin Phoenix) nephew, who grows to idolize Maximus (Crowe, 59) as he fights in Rome’s gladiator rings throughout the film.
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Paul Mescal at the U.K. premiere ofAftersunin London on Oct. 13, 2022.Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty
Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty
Speaking withThe Hollywood Reporteramid his 2023 Academy Award nomination for an interview published in February, Mescal said he did not audition to star inGladiator 2but was instead offered the part after a personal meeting with Scott, 85.
“I’m so proud I get to make it,” the actor said. “It’s an intimidating feat. It’s something I’mnervous about but something I feel like I can do.”
Asked about any significant physical training he’d undertake to play a warrior, Mescal told the outlet, “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,’ " he added of other films in the action genre.
Paul Mescal attends the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 12, 2023, in Beverly Hills, California.Lionel Hahn/Getty
Lionel Hahn/Getty
Mescal toldJimmy Kimmelhe didn’t know Kidman, 56, was at the show. He was sharing a dressing room with two castmates, and they heard a knock on the door while they were changing.
“We thought it was the stage manager or something and I go to open the door,” theAftersunactor recounted. “It’s Nicole Kidman, and I’mstanding there in, like, sweaty underwear.”
Mescal continued sheepishly, “You’d think the next smart step is [to] put on some trousers, but there’s something incredibly undignified about the act of [pulling up pants].”
“It’s not a look you want to be caught in, [bending] over,” he added.
source: people.com
