Denzel Washington on why his gay kiss was cut from ‘Gladiator 2’: “I think they got chicken”
The long-awaited movie Gladiator II has just been released, but one of the film’s stars, Denzel Washington, has revealed that a prominent scene featuring his character was cut from the final edit.
The movie comes 24 years after Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, which was a huge blockbuster hit. It starred Russell Crowe, Connie Nielsen, Joaquin Phoenix, Derek Jacobi, Oliver Reed, and various other big names, while winning various Academy Awards, such as ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Visual Effects’.
Scott has directed the sequel, with Paul Mescal starring as Lucius, the son of Crowe’s Maximus and Nielsen’s Lucilla, who reprises her role in the film. After Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acacius instructs his army to invade the city that Lucius lives in, the latter becomes a gladiator and plots his revenge.
Washington stars as Macrinus, a mentor to Lucius who helps him to become a gladiator. In a new interview with Gayety, Washington revealed that his character kisses a man in one sequence, yet this scene does not make it into the final version of the film. “I actually kissed a man in the film but they took it out. They cut it. I think they got chicken,” he said.
The actor continued, “I kissed a guy full on the lips and they, I guess they weren’t ready for that yet.” Washington then revealed that “I killed him about five minutes later,” calling it “the kiss of death.”
Additionally, a recent New York Times interview with Scott revealed more information about Washington’s character. When asked about Macrinus’ “hints of bisexuality,” Scott replied, “There’s a twinkle. Also, he’s a gangster. I think he was clearly a prisoner of war, went to the ring, earned his freedom, suddenly working in a giant bread factory and supplied bread for the Roman army.”
Gladiator II was also set to feature another kiss between two men that was eventually cut. According to Mescal (via Entertainment Weekly), he kissed Pascal’s character on the forehead, improvising the act during a scene, which Scott reportedly liked. Yet, by the time the final cut was released, the kiss was nowhere to be seen.
The movie has received mixed reviews so far. However, the performances from the cast, specifically Mescal and Washington, have been highly praised. They have helped to bring Scott’s epic to life with ease.
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