First photos of Paul Mescal in Gladiator II revealed

The Normal People star, who plays the lead Lucius in Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel, stuns in period-accurate gladiator costume.

The second instalment of the Gladiator movies was first announced in 2018 and Mescal casted in the lead role in early 2023.

The sequel, set to be released on November 22, picks up a few years after the first instalment ended. Mescal portrays the young son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) forced to fight for survival in an increasingly corrupt Rome under the rule of tyrannical general Acacius (Pedro Pascal).

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Mescal remarks that his features coincidentally fit the role perfectly.

“My nose just is kind of Roman,” he told Vanity Fair.

“So it’s useful in this context. The nose that I absolutely hated when I was in secondary school—and used to get ribbed for—became very, very useful when Ridley needed somebody to be in Gladiator II.”

Ridley Scott told Vanity Fair: “He was a special find. He was absolutely perfect.”

Scott was so convinced by Mescal’s fitness for the role that he didn’t even go through a camera test.

Mescal said: “I wanted to get a flavour from him about what the story was going to be about, so we spent about 15 minutes talking about that, and then we spent another 10 minutes talking about the sport that I played growing up – Gaelic football.

"Maybe that was something that helped with it, in that I’m used to being physical in my body.”

For his role in Gladiator II he teamed up with Hollywood heavyweights such as Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington and underwent a significant physical transformation.

“I just wanted to be big and strong and look like somebody who can cause a bit of damage when shit hits the fan,” he said.

“I think also, sometimes, one could, in striving for that perfect look, end up looking more like an underwear model than a warrior.”

The American director had first seen Mescal in his breakout role of adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People, directed by Lenny Abrahamson. The series premiered in the United States on Hulu in April 2020 and received critical acclaim.

The leads, Paul Mescal (Connell Waldron) and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Marianne) received international recognition for their performances with Paul Mescal winning a BAFTA Award and receiving a Primetime Emmy Nomination.

In the years following Normal People, the Lir graduate became known for his earnest performances in psychological dramas. Notably, his performance as a tortured young father in Charlotte Wells’ directorial debut Aftersun, which earned him a nomination for Best Actor during the 95th Academy Awards.

Most recently, his role as Andrew Scott’s love interest in the romantic fantasy All of Us Strangers led him to another BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Gladiator II is scheduled to be released internationally and in Ireland on November 15.