MOVIE NEWS – Paul Mescal talked about the iconic advice Ridley Scott gave him regarding Gladiator II…

A lesson for all aspiring actors: Don’t stand between Ridley Scott and the movie he’s working on! Unfortunately, Paul Mescal only taught this lesson in Gladiator II. learned on the first day of filming. Even on his own skin. Mescal plays Lucius, son of Maximus Decimus Meridius (as revealed in the latest trailer; see end of article), who is captured by the Roman army and forced to fight in the Colosseum. Before landing the role of the ancient warrior, Mescal was best known for bringing tears to the eyes in heartbreaking dramas like Normal People and Aftersun. Going back in time to ancient Rome would be stressful for anyone, but Ridley Scott didn’t give Mescal time to get nervous during the shoot.

In the final print issue of Total Film, Paul Mescal spoke about his first encounter with Ridley Scott on the set of Gladiator II and shared the inspiring and incredibly insightful advice the iconic director gave him. “I think the very first day, and just coming out and there being a couple of hundred to a thousand SAs [supporting artists/extras], with fires burning, and the walls of Morocco, I was like, ‘Ooh – this is f *cking big’,'” the actor recalled.

Mescal, known for being introverted when away from the camera, found the production scale of Gladiator II incredibly stressful.

However, Ridley Scott came to his aid, offering part advice (and part warning) for Mescal’s nervousness.

“But… the first thing [Ridley] said before filming was, ‘Your nerves are no f*cking good to me. ‘ Which is Ridley in a nutshell, but it’s the perfect thing to say, because it’s so liberating. He’s totally right.”

Paul Mescal refused to study the original Gladiator

You’d think that when you signed on to make a sequel to one of the most beloved action films of the 2000s, the first thing you’d do would be to study the film religiously. However, Paul Mescal didn’t analyze Russell Crowe’s groundbreaking performance as Maximus Decimus Meridius for one key reason: it’s an entirely different character. The actor revealed that he had seen Gladiator and loved Crowe’s work in the film. “I think the legacy he’s left with that first film is extraordinary,” he explained. However, Mescal is “consciously trying to get out of my head, like, the projections that people might have of what this film means.”

Playing the son of Maximus Decimus Meridius, one of the most iconic and iconic movie heroes in modern cinema, is no small task, as there are huge boots (or, in this case, sandals) to fill. Referring back to his problem with nerves, Mescal did not want to overanalyze the first film. Lucius is wholly estranged from Maximus; in the first trailer of the film, he talks about him as an iconic gladiator, not even realizing that he is Lucius’ own father. As Mescal said:

“I didn’t watch it after I was cast, and then watched it on New Year’s Day with my friends, which was amazing… And there’s nothing really to be gained [by studying it in preparation] as it’s a different character.”

Source: GamesRadar