Paul Mescal Shares His ‘Gladiator 2’ Nerves About Pedro Pascal

Paul Mescal is set to take the lead in the upcoming Gladiator sequel, alongside co-star Pedro Pascal. The actor has shared that he was jittery about his first interaction with Pedro Pascal before filming commenced.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, in a recent interview with Esquire which took place before the SAG-AFTRA strike, Mescal mentioned that he spotted The Last of Us star at LAX airport just before his involvement in the movie was announced, but “was too afraid to go up to him.”

He told the magazine that Pascal ended up coming over to him and “just seemed so genuine; I’m really looking forward to hanging out with him.”

Who Does Paul Mescal Play In Gladiator 2?

In the film, Mescal assumes the lead role of adult Lucius, originally portrayed as the young nephew of Commodus, the Roman Emperor played by Joaquin Phoenix in the 2000 movie. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the star of Normal People has previously stated that he didn’t undergo an audition for the role. Instead, he had a meeting with the renowned director Ridley Scott, during which they “discussed the parameters of the story. Then, after the fact, I was given a script.”

Related: Report: Paul Mescal Was Offered Human Torch Role In Marvel Studios’ ‘Fantastic Four’ Movie

Nonetheless, the ongoing dual strikes have led to a temporary halt in production. Before the interruption, Scott managed to complete about half of the filming for his sequel, which had commenced in June.

Protect Gladiator 2 Spoilers At All Costs

Speaking to Esquire, Mescal didn’t delve too deeply into the details of the Gladiator sequel. He admitted feeling nervous about inadvertently disclosing something he shouldn’t. 

“I can’t get into that!” he told the magazine. “I can’t tell you how stressed I am talking about that film in particular because it’s definitely the biggest one I’ve done. I feel really excited, but, like, it’s difficult to get away from the legacy of the film a bit. I think it’s really well written and it pays homage to the first one, but it’s very much something that I think I can step into and make comfortably my own.”

Related: Matthew McConaughey Was Originally Considered To Play Joel In ‘The Last of Us’

Mescal also mentioned that he hasn’t had a conversation with the original Gladiator star, Russell Crowe. He remarked. “I don’t know what we would talk about. Like, I’d love to hear his stories from filming, but the character is, like, totally separate.”

The upcoming Gladiator sequel, starring Paul Mescal, Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington, and Pedro Pascal, is currently scheduled for release on November 24, 2024.