Paul Mescal Refused to Give Up Drinking, Smoking for 'Gladiator 2' Role

Paul Mescal got into peak physical condition for Gladiator II — but there are two things he refused to give up.

“I ate a lot of chicken and lifted heavy things,” Mescal, 28, said of his physical transformation for the upcoming swords-and-sandals epic during an appearance on the U.K.’s Graham Norton Show, which airs Friday, October 25, on BBC One.

“I was working with a trainer who circled me like a shark and said, ‘There is a canvas to work with,” Mescal continued. “He went to town, and I saw him every day. It was fun.”

However, the Irish actor conceded that he wasn’t willing to give up two vices for the role. “I did everything he asked but I like to drink, and I like to smoke, so I drew a line in the sand where those were concerned,” he explained.

Set over two decades after the events of the original Gladiator movie starring Russell Crowe, Mescal plays Lucius Verus, the son of Crowe’s character, Maximus, who is forced into slavery and becomes a gladiator to earn his freedom, much like Maximus in the first film.

Speaking to host Graham Norton, Mescal said he landed the part after speaking to director Ridley Scott over Zoom for just 30 minutes.

“Ridley does not waste time,” the Aftersun actor said. “I thought there would be camera tests and auditions, but we Zoomed for half an hour, spoke for 10 mins about the part, and then 20 minutes about Gaelic football, his dog, and his wife.”

He continued, “I thought there would be more, but he called a few weeks later to offer me the part. I think he just goes by instinct on set and off and I’m very glad that’s the way it went.”

Mescal is joined on Friday’s program by his costar, Denzel Washington, who plays former slave and Lucius’ mentor, Macrinus. Mescal admitted that he was starstruck when he first spotted the Oscar winner on the Gladiator II set.

“It was a big day in my life — it was amazing. I spent the first day thinking, ‘I must go introduce myself to him,’ and I stood there for several minutes before I [decided], ‘Not today,’” said the actor. “The next day I decided to be a brave boy.”

Gladiator II is in theaters on Friday, November 22.