Paul Mescal (27) received an Oscar nomination in 2023 for the critics’ favorite “Aftersun”. With the leading role in “Gladiator 2” (in cinemas in November 2024), the Irishman could now make the leap to superstardom. But that would be a disaster for the actor. “I don’t know what the difference will be,” said Mescal in an interview with “The Sunday Times” about the time after the cult film sequel’s theatrical release: “Is it just that more people will stop you on the street?”
If his life were to fundamentally change as a result of the sequel to the 2000 hit, Paul Mescal would be “deeply depressed”. The actor would have no desire for the isolated existence of a superstar. “Then I would see myself as somehow different and I don’t want that,” he said. And: “Then I would just be damn bored.”
“I don’t want to close myself off from going to a bar and meeting someone or getting drunk at a party,” Mescal told the Sunday Times. He fears that this renunciation would make him a “boring person.” “It would be dangerous to wrap yourself in cotton wool and not go out into the world out of fear.”
Paul Mescal has already drawn up a strategy in the event of a breakthrough. Then he wanted to “perform in a boring play that no one wants to see,” the star explained jokingly.
Paul Mescal plays Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, 58), in “Gladiator 2”. In the first part she was the lover of Maximus, played by Russell Crowe (59). Now Lucius seeks revenge for the murdered Maximus.
As in the first part, the director is Ridley Scott (86). In addition to Mescal, Connie Nielsen can be seen again as Lucilla, new additions include Denzel Washington (69) and “The Last of Us” star Pedro Pascal (48).
However, Russell Crowe will not be returning for the late sequel. Because his character Maximus ultimately didn’t survive the original. His role in “Gladiator” transformed Crowe from a respected middle-class actor into one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in 2000. A fate that Paul Mescal desperately wants to prevent.
