Denzel Washington Explains Why He Accepted His Gladiator 2 Role

Gladiator 2 star Denzel Washinton explains why he accepted a role in Ridley Scott’s upcoming sequel. Serving as a follow-up to 2000’s Gladiator, Scott’s anticipated historical epic takes place 20 years after Maximus’ death, following Paul Mescal’s Lucius as he becomes a fighter in the Colosseum. The Gladiator 2 cast features a mix of newcomers and actors from the original, including Washington as Macrinus, who has been described as a wealthy arms dealer who also owns a host of gladiator fighters.

In a recent interview with Empire, Washington touches on his decision to join Gladiator 2, revealing that Scott himself is a major reason why he took on the role. According to the actor, he feels he’s now at a point in his career where there aren’t many films he’s truly “interested in” making, but working with Scott was reason enough to take on the part of Macrinus. Check out Washington’s comment below:

“There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in, and I have to be inspired by the filmmaker, and I was tremendously inspired by Ridley. We had a great go-round the first go-round [on
American Gangster
], and here we are. He’s engaged. He’s excited about life and his next film. He’s an inspiration. We should all want to feel like that at 86.”

Who Is Denzel Washington’s Character In Gladiator 2?

Macrinus Could Be A Crucial Figure In The Story

While relatively little has been revealed about Washigton’s Macrinus, the description of his character as an arms dealer and someone who traffics in gladiators is telling. Like any sequel that comes more than two decades after its predecessor, Gladiator 2 will have the challenging job of recapturing the magic of the original while also feeling fresh and new. Macrinus seemingly occupies an important role in this regard.

From what’s been revealed thus far, Macrinus is a character very much like Oliver Reed’s Proximo from 2000’s Gladiator. Proximo is essentially a former slave who worked his way up to becoming a wealthy slave owner, and eventually becomes something of a mentor to Maximus. It’s entirely possible that Macrinus will occupy a similar role for Lucius. Real history also, however, tells us more about how Washington’s character could factor into the sequel’s story.

Macrinus was involved in a plot to assassinate a Roman emperor before ascending to the position himself, suggesting that Washington’s Gladiator 2 character could actually end up playing a far more prominent and important role than Proximo did in the original. Macrinus is evidently a character with a great deal of historical and potential storytelling importance, and this context certainly could be part of why Washington agreed to play him. While many questions remain about Gladiator 2, it will certainly be exciting to see Washington and Scott collaborating once more.

Source: Empire

Gladiator II

Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.

Release Date

November 22, 2024

Studio(s)

Paramount Pictures , Universal Pictures , Scott Free Productions , Red Wagon Entertainment

Distributor(s)

Paramount Pictures

Writers

David Scarpa , Peter Craig , David Franzoni

Cast

Paul Mescal , Pedro Pascal , Denzel Washington , Connie Nielsen , Joseph Quinn , Fred Hechinger , Derek Jacobi , May Calamawy , Peter Mensah , Matt Lucas , Alexander Karim , Tim McInnerny , Lee Charles , Chidi Ajufo , Alfie Tempest , Riana Duce , Chi Lewis Parry , Paul Candelent , Hadrian Howard , Alexander Simkin , Mikhail Basmadjian , Matthew Charlery-Smith , Maxime Durand , Lior Raz

Character(s)

Lucius Verus , Marcus Acacius , Macrinus , Lucilla , Emperor Caracalla , Emperor Geta , Gracchus

Main Genre

Adventure

Expand