Paul Mescal doesn’t want ‘Gladiator 2’ to make him more famous
Actor Paul Mescal is starring in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 alongside Barry Keoghan, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington, but the Irishman has now addressed his fears of the film catapulting his fame further.
The upcoming movie represents another step up for Mescal, who previously starred in Aftersun, All of Us Strangers and Normal People, and it seems inevitable that he’ll receive more public exposure. Yet, the actor said it would make him “profoundly depressed” if Gladiator 2 prevented him from living an ordinary life.
During an interview with The Sunday Times, Mescal was asked how he expects Gladiator 2 to affect him, in response, he said: “I don’t know what the difference will be. Maybe that’s naive? Is it just that more people will stop you in the street? I’d get profoundly depressed if that’s so and hope it isn’t true.”
The actor added, “I’ll have an answer next year, but if [the film] impacts my life in that way, I’ll be in a bad spot. I’d have to move on and do an obtuse play nobody wants to see.”
Gladiator 2 will be the most mainstream project that Mescal has been involved in during his career so far, therefore, the role will open him up to a whole new audience.
Written by David Scarpa and directed by Scott, the film will see Mescal play Lucuis, the nephew of Commodus, who Joaquin Phoenix previously played in the original film.
Before the release of Gladiator 2, Mescal is set to star in Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers, which arrives in cinemas on January 26th.
In a four-and-a-half star review, Far Out wrote of All of Us Strangers: “Crafting unique characters that creak with fragility, both lead performances carry the earnest nature of Haigh’s screenplay, with their relationship and innate desire for human connection resonating through the screen. Such quiet, delicate characters are not easy to bring to vibrant cinematic life, yet Mescal, Scott, and supporting stars Claire Foy and Jamie Bell, as the ghostly mother and father, pull off the remarkable feat.”
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