Ridley Scott had the perfect no-nonsense advice for Paul Mescal on the set of Gladiator 2

EntertainmentMoviesAction MoviesGladiator 2Ridley Scott had the perfect no-nonsense advice for Paul Mescal on the set of Gladiator 2When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

EntertainmentMoviesAction MoviesGladiator 2Ridley Scott had the perfect no-nonsense advice for Paul Mescal on the set of Gladiator 2When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Paramount)

Paul Mescal as Lucius in Gladiator 2 (2024)

After the huge success of Gladiator, returning for the long-awaited sequel was always going to feature a hefty amount of pressure, especially for newcomer Paul Mescal. In the upcoming movie, he plays Lucius, the son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus – and as such steps into some pretty huge shoes.

However, as Mescal tellsTotal Film in our final issueout on Thursday, October 10, which featuresGladiator 2on the cover, there was no room for nerves on a Ridley Scott set.

“I think the very first day, and just coming out and there being a couple of hundred to a thousand SAs [supporting artists/extras], with fires burning, and the walls of Morocco, I was like, ‘Ooh – this is fucking big,'” remembers Mescal. “But… the first thing [Ridley] said before filming was, ‘Your nerves are no fucking good to me.’ Which is Ridley in a nutshell, but it’s the perfect thing to say, because it’s so liberating. He’s totally right.”

Gladiator 2 is released on November 15. And you can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the final issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, October 10.

Check out the covers below:

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(Image credit: Paramount)

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Subscribers have the exclusive text-free cover on the way to them right now, with the issue then hitting shops and digital newsstands on Thursday October 10.

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