Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal has said his role in the upcoming Gladiator film is one he can “comfortably” make his own.
The Irish actor, 27, will star in the sequel to Sir Ridley Scott’s original epic, which so far has not been given an official title but is slated for a 2024 release.
He will reportedly play the lead character of Lucius, the grown-up son of Lucilla, played by Connie Nielsen, who starred in the 2000 film alongside Russell Crowe in his role as Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius.
Mescal, who stars on the cover of the Autumn 2023 issue of Esquire UK, told the magazine: “I can’t tell you how stressed I am talking about that film in particular, because it’s definitely the biggest one I’ve done.
“I feel really excited but it’s difficult to get away from the legacy of the film a bit. I think it’s really well written and it pays homage to the first one, but it’s very much something that I think I can step into and make comfortably my own.”
The actor, from Maynooth in Co Kildare, earned an Oscar nomination in the best actor category at the 95th Academy Awards for his role in indie coming-of-age film Aftersun.
His breakout role came when he played Connell in the BBC’s adaption of Sally Rooney’s novel, Normal People, starring opposite Daisy Edgar-Jones.
The part saw him described in the media as a sex symbol, with his character’s neck chain in particular garnering its own fanbase and attention.
Scott will return to direct the Gladiator sequel. The first film won five Oscars including best picture and best actor for lead star Crowe.
Mescal said of Crowe: “I’d love to hear his stories from filming, but the character is totally separate.”
The Last Of Us star Pedro Pascal, Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington, Stranger Things actor Joseph Quinn and actress Nielsen are all reported to be among the cast for the second Gladiator instalment.
Speaking about the ‘anxiety of a new film set’, Mescal told Esquire UK: “It’s the worst feeling! You fly to a new country and figure out who’s there, and then you panic in your bedroom about being social, and then you kind of let that go.
“I tend to hang out by myself for a bit until I get my feet on the ground with the work itself. I think that’s the best way to do it, rather than force intimacy that doesn’t exist yet.”
The Autumn issue of Esquire UK is on sale from August 24th.
