Denzel Washington has dealt a devastating blow to fans after revealing his same-sex kiss didn’t make the final Gladiator II cut.
The highly-anticipated sequel from returning filmmaker Ridley Scott follows Maximus’ (Russell Crowe) and Lucilla’s (Connie Nielsen) son Lucius (Paul Mescal).
After his life is destroyed by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal), he enters the Colosseum as an enslaved gladiator with a thirst for revenge.
His battle prowess in the arena impresses the scheming Macrinus (Denzel) who decides to fashion him into a star under the thumb of Roman Empire.
Among the violent retribution and clashing power plays, Macrinus’ past relationships with men are mentioned – a common enough occurrence during this time and culture.
But when asked about how gay the Roman Empire is in a recent interview, the acclaimed actor delivered some tough news.
‘I actually kissed a man in the film but they took it out, they cut it, I think they got chicken,’ he said.
Going into more detail, the 69-year-old actor added to Gayety: ‘I kissed a guy full on the lips and I guess they weren’t ready for that yet. I killed him about five minutes later. It’s Gladiator. It’s the kiss of death.’
And fans have shared their shock and heartbreak at what could have been.
‘I can’t believe I exist in a universe where Denzel is like, “they weren’t ready to see me kissing other men!!!”‘ @gabalexa wrote on X.
‘How much suffering can we take,’ @rosedommu added.
‘Having a Denzel Gay Kiss ON FILM and then choosing, entirely of your own will, NOT TO USE IT should actually be considered a crime against humanity,’ @jordanblocked echoed.
‘Cowards, probably would’ve been the most historically accurate part of the movie,’ @hijade2madre shared.
And countless more called for the ‘Denzel Washington cut’ to be released.
The movie has secured a devoted LGBTQ+ fanbase with its inclusion of stars such as Paul and Pedro who are firm favourites within the community.
As put by GQ: ‘Your movie can only boast so many close-ups of a shirtless Paul Mescal – sweat glistening over the surface of his pulsating biceps and taut stomach, lit as generously as an OnlyFans shoot – before it starts to feel a little… fruity.’
Although we won’t get to see this epic Denzel scene on the big screen, he has plenty more to offer to the film, with critics praising his Oscar-worthy performance.
‘Washington almost steals the entire picture,’ The Guardian’s four-star review wrote.
The Independent added: ‘Washington takes pure, delicious revelry in the spoken word’ and praised his ‘sleeve acting’.
Metro’s film expert, Tori Brazier, raved: ‘The Training Day star is just so good, so supremely confident and charismatic, so over-the-top that I would love to see another Oscar come his way.’
And it’s no surprise that Denzel has gone all in as he approaches the end of his brilliant career.
‘For me, it’s about the filmmakers. Especially at this point in my career, I am only interested in working with the best.
‘I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make. It’s probably not that many. I want to do things I haven’t done,’ he said during the Gladiator II press tour, per Variety.
As of right now he has only a handful more projects lined up including one with Steve McQueen, an adaptation of Othello and a role in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther 3.
Gladiator II comes out in cinemas on November 15.
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