Paul Mescal, the most notable actor in Hollywood, perfectly portrays the new gladiator Lucius in ‘Gladiator II’, filling the void left by Maximus (Russell Crowe), the main character of the prequel.

‘Gladiator II’, which opens on November 13, is a film that tells the story of Lucius (Paul Mescal), who fights in the Colosseum for the fate of Rome, 20 years after the death of Maximus.

Amid the steep rise in advance ticket sales, which is foreshadowing a hot box office hit, much attention is being paid to the new gladiator Lucius created by Paul Mescal. Previously, Paul Mescal, who perfectly played the role of the complex father Callum with delicate emotional acting in ‘Aftersun’, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, proving his solid acting skills.
Paul Mescal, who perfectly played the role of Lucius, a gladiator seething with revenge against Rome, said, “I wore armor and received swordsmanship training from the world‘s best trainers,” and shared his efforts to perfectly synchronize with the battle-ready gladiator. He continued, “I tried to act in a way that drew similarities between Lucius and Maximus from ‘Gladiator, while also allowing the audience to fully immerse themselves in the character of Lucius.” “Lucius really has a strong fighting spirit. ”I felt like the script was telling me what kind of person he is,“ he said.

Director Ridley Scott, a ”master“ who directed the film, said, ”Paul Mescal is a solid and empathetic actor. As I worked on the script for “Gladiator II,” I kept thinking of Paul Mescal,“ and praised him, saying, ”Paul Mescal gives perfect scores in all acting, including action scenes.“
Connie Nielsen, who returned as the Roman princess Lucilla following the first film, said, ”Paul Mescal gives a truly calm and wonderful performance. Paul Mescal did a great job of portraying the hero character and added deep and intense emotions,” he said, praising his outstanding acting skills. In particular, Denzel Washington, who played the role of Macrinus, the master of gladiators, said, “Paul Mescal has a great balance of natural masculinity, humility, strength, and honesty. Director Ridley Scott chose the right person. Paul Mescal is an actor with his own light,” drawing attention.


Reporter Seungmi Lee smlee@donga.com