Paul Mescal is an actor who portrays Lucius Verus in the film Gladiator II.
Biography[]
Paul Mescal is an Irish actor of film and television and theatre. He debuted professionally in the role of Jay Gatsby in a theatrical production of The Great Gatsby. He has appeared in films such as God's Creatures and Carmen.
Behind the scenes[]
Paul Mescal did almost all of his own stunts for Gladiator II, having wanted to do as much as possible and ultimately not being allowed to do just two or three for insurance reasons. Pedro Pascal, who portrays the opposing general Marcus Acacius in the film, stated that he called him "Brick Wall Paul" and that he would rather jump from a building than have to fight him again for how strong he got during the production of the film. Mescal first came to the attention of director Ridley Scott through his work in the television series Normal People. Scott stated that when watching something, he tends to clock anyone he finds interesting and upon seeing Mescal's performance finding himself asking "Who's this guy?"[1] In an interview, he discussed his intense training regime, noting that he had the best trainer and the support of the production and that while it could be grueling, it was necessary to be believable for a character to survive the type of violence seen within the film.[2] In another interview, Mescal praised his trainer for recognizing that he didn't have a huge amount of patience. As such, he trained six days a week in 45-minute bursts. He explained that he wanted there to be a limit to the level of "beefcake" and not go down the 300 avenue and have an ideal informed by superhero films, that superheroes didn't exist, but gladiators did.
Paul Mescal originally watched Gladiator as a teenager, but upon being cast for Gladiator II deliberately avoided watching the film again until after filming on the sequel was complete, believing that it wouldn't help him. He then watched it with a group of friends and realized in his words, "Oh shit, this is pressure." He states, however, that upon watching the finished sequel he felt "totally at ease" and that he's not only confident but excited for people to see it, rather than hoping they were going to get away with it.[3]
External links[]
- Paul Mescal on Wikipedia
- Paul Mescal on IMDb
References[]
- ↑ Breznican, Anthony (July 1, 2024). Paul Mescal vs. Pedro Pascal: A First Look at the Epic Gladiator II. Vanity Fair. Retrieved on July 13, 2024.
- ↑ Paul Mescal's INTENSE Training Regime For 'Gladiator II' - Capital. Capital FM (July 9, 2024). Retrieved on July 14, 2024.
- ↑ Empire - "Unleash Hell" by Hayley Campbell, October 2024