Paul Mescal Bulked Up for Gladiator 2 but Didnt Want to Become a Sex Symbol

Paul Mescal was determined not to have the stereotypical “supermodel” look when he donned the sword and sandals as the lead in Ridley Scott’sGladiator II. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Mescal described the radical physical transformation he experienced while training for the lead role in the film, which opens in November. The 28-year-old Irish actor plays Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and heir to the throne of Rome, who instead finds himself fighting for his life in the arena as a gladiator.

Mescal took a practical approach to his training for the role, with a focus on strength over definition. The first images from the film, released with the article, show off the results, and an impressive physique. He told Vanity Fair’s Anthony Breznican:

I just wanted to be big and strong and look like somebody who can cause a bit of damage when s**t hits the fan. I think also, sometimes, one could, in striving for that perfect look, end up looking more like an underwear model than a warrior.

Taking on the physical role wasn’t much of a stretch for Mescal, who once played Gaelic football in Ireland for the Maynooth Football Club. Even he admits, however, that the training for the film changed him both physically and psychologically.

Muscles start to grow, and that can be deemed aesthetic in certain capacities, but there is something about feeling strong in your body that elicits just a different feeling. You carry yourself differently. It has an impact on you psychologically in a way that is useful for the film.

The results even managed to intimidate the Mandalorian himself. Co-star Pedro Pascal nicknamed the actor “Brick Wall Paul” after having to face off with him in the arena. He 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…It’s brutal, man.

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The film will be Mescal’s biggest role to date, which sounds strange considering he already has an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (2022’s Aftersun). It was his Emmy-nominated performance in the series Normal People, however, that caught the attention of director Ridley Scott. After only half an hour of speaking with Mescal, the Alien director offered him the role.

The Positive Buzz for Paul Mescal and Gladiator II

The release of images from the film generated a wave of positive buzz online, something the sequel didn’t have since Scott first announced his plans to revisit the 2001 Oscar winner for Best Picture with a follow-up. Fans were excited to see the new film retains the gritty Gladiator look, and were impressed with Mescal’s imposing presence. The film immediately became one of the most anticipated releases of the fall, and there isn’t even a trailer yet.

Gladiator II boasts an impressive cast. In addition to Mescal, Pedro Pascal plays Marcus Acacius, a Roman general who once served under Russel Crowe’s Maximus Decimus Meridius. Denzel Washington plays Macrinus, a wealthy Roman powerbroker and gladiator owner. Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) and Fred Hechinger (Netflix’s Fear Street films) play the twin emperors of Rome. Returning cast members from the 2000 film include Connie Nielsen as Lucilla and Derek Jacobi as Gracchus.