Paul Mescal throws shade at King Charles, says meeting him at Gladiator 2 premiere 'was not on the list of priorities'

Gladiator II star Paul Mescal does feel like a king, given the box office and critical success of the film. However, he recently had a chance to meet real royalty in the form of Britain’s King Charles III. But Mescal says that being Irish, he was not too excited about it. (Also read: Gladiator II trailer: Paul Mescal faces off against Pedro Pascal in Ridley Scott’s action-packed sequel)

Paul Mescal on meeting King Charles

The 28-year-old actor, who portrays a grown-up Lucius in Sir Ridley Scott’s new historical epic, was introduced to Charles at the star-studded event in central London last week.

Speaking to US outlet Variety on the red carpet of the film’s Los Angeles premiere on Monday, Mescal reflected on his experience of meeting the King. He said: “How wild is it? It’s definitely not something that I thought was in the bingo cards. I’m Irish, so it’s not on the list of priorities. But it’s an amazing thing for Ridley because I know how important that is for him. So to see his film celebrated in that context was pretty special.”

Recalling his encounter with Charles, Mescal admitted he found it hard to hear what was being said amid the excitement of the premiere, so he was “nodding along and smiling”.

About Gladiator II premiere

The film’s world premiere in London was held in aid of the Film and TV Charity, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and marked the first premiere Charles attended as King. He also met with Mescal’s co-stars, including Oscar-winner Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal.

Gladiator II is set years after the Oscar-winning 2000 film, which starred Russell Crowe as Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius.

Gladiator II tells the story of Maximus’ son, Lucius Verus, who originally appeared in the film as a child and is now played by Mescal. Lucius escaped capture after the fall of Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix in the original movie, and joined the fight against the Roman Empire’s expansion. In the fight to defend his wife, Lucius is captured and placed into slavery by the forces of Marcus Acacius (Pascal). Subsequently, he becomes a gladiator after being bought by Macrinus (Washington) and seeks revenge.

At the premiere, Mescal told the PA news agency he would “absolutely love” to do a third Gladiator film after director Ridley Scott teased that he could be looking to do a follow-up.

(With agencies inputs)