Paul Mescal Wasn’t Willing to Meet King Charles at the Gladiator II Premiere

Paul Mescal he was not so eager to meet King Charles III of Gladiator II premiered in London last week.

Mescal, 28, was asked about his recent meeting with the British monarch while speaking to him Variety of a The Gladiator event in Los Angeles on Monday, November 18.

“I have never met the king [before that night],” said the actor, per a video posted by the outlet in X. “It’s not at all what I thought was on the bingo cards. I’m like, I’m Irish, so it’s not a priority list. But it is an amazing thing Ridley [Scott] because I know how important that is to him. So to see his film celebrated in that way was very important. “

Wednesday, November 13, Charles and Mescal greet each other well at the Odeon Lux theater in Leicester Square, where the actor joined Gladiator II costars Pedro Pascal again Denzel Washingtonand Scott, their director, on the receiving end. (The next day, Charles, suffering from cancer, turned 76 years old.)

Mescal described the Royal meeting Varietysaying, “I found it difficult to hear what it really was [Charles] he was saying … so you just nod again, just smile.”

Gladiator II debuts in theaters Friday, November 22. Set more than two decades after the events of the original blockbuster Russell Croweand Mescal’s play Lucius Verus, the son of Crowe’s character, Maximus; he is forced into slavery and becomes a gladiator to gain his freedom, like Maximus in the first film.

Paul Mescal on meeting King Charles: “I’m Irish, so it’s not on the list of priorities. But it’s a wonderful thing for Ridley [Scott] because I know how important that is to him.” pic.twitter.com/AR60LJ0V4Z

– Variety (@Variety) November 19, 2024

By his looks you have The Graham Norton Show last month, Mescal said he got the part after speaking with Scott, 86, on Zoom for just 30 minutes.

“Ridley doesn’t waste time,” he said. “I thought there would be rehearsals and camera auditions, but we zoomed in for half an hour, we talked for 10 minutes about the part, then 20 minutes about Gaelic football, his dog and his wife.”

Mescal got into great physical shape for the Roman Empire hit, and worked with a coach who “circled me like a shark and said, ‘There’s a sail I’m going to work on.’ He went to town, and I saw him every day. It was fun.”

However, Mescal refused to stop the two evil deeds.

“I did everything [Scott] I asked but I like to drink, and I like to smoke, so I drew a line in the sand where they were concerned,” he told Norton.