Ridley Scott on casting Paul Mescal in ‘Gladiator 2’: “I kept thinking about Paul”
Director Ridley Scott has discussed his choice to cast Paul Mescal in Gladiator 2, explaining how including the actor in his esteemed project was a no-brainer.
Speaking in a new interview, the Alien filmmaker said, “Can I see Paul Mescal being as big as Russell Crowe? For sure”, adding that he first came across Mescal’s talent when he watched Normal People, recalling: “It’s not my kind of show but I saw four episodes in a row – boom, boom, boom.”
“I was thinking, ‘Who the hell is this Paul Mescal?'” Scott told Total Film. “And then I watched the whole series. And then, suddenly, Gladiator 2 came up, because the script was working pretty well. And I kept thinking about Paul. And that was it.”
Mescal plays Lucius, the son of Maximum (Crowe) and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), and the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s character from the first film, Emperor Commodus.
In an interview with Esquire, Mescal previously admitted that he was too nervous to ask his co-star, Pedro Pascal, for advice, even though he’s far more experienced.
“I was too afraid to go up to him,” Mescal explained. “He came up and just seemed so genuine; I’m really looking forward to hanging out with him.”
When asked about approaching Crowe for words of wisdom, the actor said: “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.”
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