Denzel Washington is quite disappointed to see that a certain smooch fest was removed from his latest film Gladiator 2 with Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal.
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The sequel is set two decades after the events of the first movie. Lucius (Paul Mescal), now residing in Numidia with his wife and child, endures a devastating loss when Roman soldiers, commanded by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), kill his wife and enslave him. Driven by the legacy of the legendary Maximus (Crowe), Lucius joins the gladiator ranks under Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a former slave with ambitions to overthrow the ruling emperors.
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If you recall, Lucius is actually Maximus’ son, who was originally played by Russell Crowe. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mescal talked about an impromptu scene where he and Pascal actually had a cute little forehead kiss moment, but what was really surprising was when Washington revealed that he too had a guy-on-guy smooch scene. According to an interview with gayety, Denzel said:
“I kissed the man in the film, but they took it. I guess they’re not ready for that.”
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Washington’s character’s lust for power has a dark agenda behind it and with a desire to overthrow the current twin emperors. In the film, Macrinus (Washington) benefits from Rome being in war since he provides food and oil to European armies. He shared his insights to Screen Rant:
”He made a decision. He got in bed with the dark side. He wants to dominate, control the entire empire, and he’ll use anyone to do it and he’ll do anything to get what he wants.
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The excitement for Gladiator 2 is ramping up, with its UK premiere scheduled for November 15, followed by its US and Canadian release on November 22. It’s set to be a big box office weekend, going up against Wicked (Part 1). Paul Mescal jokingly referred to the two films as “Glicked,” hinting that they could spark a cultural phenomenon similar to Barbenheimer.
The 69-year-old actor is also set to return to Broadway with a lead role as Othello…in well, Othello. He will also be starring in the upcoming crime-thriller and English remake of the 1963 Japanese film High and Low, where he will be acting alongside A$AP Rocky, Ice Spice, and Dean Winters. High and Low will be directed by Spike Lee.
Source: Entertainment Weekly