Yahoo News Paul Mescal confirms he fights baboons in Gladiator sequel
Paul Mescal has confirmed he fights a pack of baboons in Gladiator 2.
The upcoming film, directed by Ridley Scott, will see the Normal People star in the lead role of Lucius, the now grown-up son of Lucilla and nephew of Commodus – characters played by Connie Nielsen and Joaquin Phoenix in the first film.
While speaking to Alex Zane at the recent BAFTA Film Awards, where he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in All of Us Strangers, Mescal was asked to weigh in on Scott's previous comments about his character fighting baboons.
"Well, Ridley said that I fight baboons, so I’m not going to get in trouble for that. So yeah! Unless it’s on the cutting room floor," he shared.
Paul Mescal talking about Gladiator 2... I REPEAT PAUL MESCAL TALKING ABOUT GLADIATOR 2 #EEBAFTAs pic.twitter.com/iATijGURZi
— BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 18, 2024
Related: Gladiator 2's Paul Mescal reveals nerves over meeting co-star
During an interview with The New Yorker back in November, Scott revealed he was inspired to include a baboon face-off after being haunted by a video of the animals attacking tourists in Johannesburg.
"Baboons are carnivores. Can you hang from that roof for two hours by your left leg? No! A baboon can," he said.
Gladiator 2 received an official release date earlier this month, with the film set to arrive in cinemas on November 22, 2024.
Related: Djimon Hounsou says he's not returning for Gladiator 2
Connie Nielsen will reprise her as Lucilla, alongside a star-studded cast that includes The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Saltburn's Barry Keoghan, Stranger Things' Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Derek Jacobi and May Calamawy.
Previously explaining why he cast Mescal as the lead, Scott said: "I watched Normal People. 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?' 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."
Gladiator 2 will be released on November 22, 2024.
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