Paul Mescal hated his nose before it became 'very, very useful' for “Gladiator II”
“My nose just is kind of Roman,” the actor says in a new interview.
Getty; Everett Paul Mescal and Russell Crowe
You never know when a certain physical attribute might come in handy. Paul Mescal apparently spent years resenting the shape of his nose, until it became a big help in securing the starring role in Gladiator II, the upcoming sequel to director Ridley Scott's Oscar-winning film.
“My nose just is kind of Roman,” Mescal tells Vanity Fair in a new interview. “So it’s useful in this context. The nose that I absolutely hated when I was in secondary school — and used to get ribbed for — became very, very useful when Ridley needed somebody to be in Gladiator II.”
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Getty; Everett Paul Mescal and Russell Crowe
Mescal's character Lucius is connected to the original Gladiator by family lineage. Lucius is the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, reprising her role as the real-life daughter of Marcus Aurelius), which makes Lucius the grandson of one of the most iconic Roman emperors. But he's grown up far from Rome, Lucilla having sent him off years ago to the civilization of Numidia on the northern coast of Africa to protect him from the increasing corruption of Roman society.
But no safe space can last forever. Roman forces led by general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) invade Numidia and, after some brutal fighting, take Lucius captive. You can imagine what happens next. Like Russell Crowe's Maximus before him, Lucius ends up in the gladiator arena.
There are differences between the characters, though. After all, while Maximus lost his family, Lucius still has a living mother in the Roman court. But when she sees him fight in the arena, will she even recognize him? After all, they haven't seen each other in years, and this was centuries before social media.
The other big question on everyone's minds: Can Mescal measure up to Crowe's Oscar-winning performance? Pascal advises not to underestimate his younger costar's physical prowess.
“It’s brutal, man. I call him Brick Wall Paul,” Pascal told Vanity Fair. “He got so strong. I would rather be thrown from a building than have to fight him again. To go up against somebody that fit and that talented and that much younger…. Outside of Ridley being a total genius, Paul is a big reason as to why I would put my poor body through that experience.”
Lucius will be fighting more than just humans, however. Footage revealed at CinemaCon earlier this year showed him fighting baboons as well.
The cast of Gladiator II also includes Denzel Washington as wealthy arms dealer Macrinus, and Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus season 1) and Joseph Quinn (A Quiet Place: Day One) as twin Roman emperors Geta and Caracalla.
Gladiator II is set to hit theaters on Nov. 22. Read the full preview at Vanity Fair.
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