{"id":2192832,"date":"2025-12-09T21:48:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T21:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2192832"},"modified":"2025-12-09T21:48:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T21:48:20","slug":"russell-crowe-trashes-paul-mescals-gladiator-ii-crazy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/russell-crowe-trashes-paul-mescals-gladiator-ii-crazy\/","title":{"rendered":"Russell Crowe trashes Paul Mescal&#8217;s &#8216;Gladiator II&#8217;: &#8216;Crazy&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2025%2F12%2FUntitled-1-copy-2.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Russell Crowe was not entertained. <\/p>\n<p>The actor, 61, is sharing his issue with the 2024 film \u201cGladiator II.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Ridley Scott\u2019s 2000 hit movie \u201cGladiator,\u201d Crowe starred as Maximus alongside Joaquin Phoenix. The Oscar winner had a problem with the sequel revealing that his deceased character fathered an illegitimate son (Paul Mescal) with Lucilla, played by Connie Nielsen.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Russell Crowe opens up about the \u201cGladiator\u201d sequel.  <span class=\"credit\">Triple J\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Crowe was not in the sequel, which follows the life of Mescal\u2019s Lucius.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe recent sequel that we don\u2019t have to name out loud is a really good example of, even the people in that engine room not actually understanding what made that first one special,\u201d Crowe explained while speaking with the<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DSBc3z6EsEG\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Australian radio station Triple J<\/a>. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t the pomp. It wasn\u2019t the circumstance. It wasn\u2019t the action. It was the moral core.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\"\/>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Oliver Reed, Ralf Moeller, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Crowe in 2000\u2019s \u201cGladiator.\u201d  <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9DreamWorks\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Russell Crowe, Djimon Hounsou in the 2000 film. <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9DreamWorks\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAnd the thing is, there was a daily fight on that set. It was a daily fight to keep that moral core of the character,\u201d he detailed about the first film. \u201cThe amount of times that they suggested sex scenes and stuff like that for Maximus \u2014 it\u2019s like, you\u2019re taking away his power.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, you\u2019re saying, at the same time he had this relationship with his wife, he was f\u2013king this other girl? What are you talking about? It\u2019s crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the first film, Maximus was a dedicated family man who sought revenge after the murder of his wife, (Giannina Facio), and child. Therefore, to Crowe it didn\u2019t make sense that his character would have affairs.<\/p>\n<p>When \u201cGladiator II\u201d debuted in November 2024, Crowe heard from disgruntled critics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe women in Europe, when that movie started coming out, I would be at a restaurant, and they\u2019d come talk to me [and complain],\u201d he confessed. \u201cIt\u2019s like, \u2018Hey, it wasn\u2019t me! I didn\u2019t do it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2020, Crowe <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/11\/22\/entertainment\/gladiator-was-a-disaster-became-hollywood-classic-anyway\/\">got candid on having his character die in \u201cGladiator.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Russell Crowe in \u201cGladiator.\u201d  <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9DreamWorks\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Russell Crowe as Maximus on \u201cGladiator.\u201d  <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9DreamWorks\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Paul Mescal, Yuval Gonen in 2024\u2019s \u201cGladiator II.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Paramount\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI remember Ridley coming up to me on set saying, \u2018Look, the way this is shaping up, I don\u2019t see how you live. This character is about one act of pure vengeance for his wife and child, and, once he\u2019s accomplished that, what does he do?\u2019\u201d\u00a0Crowe recalled <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.empireonline.com\/movies\/news\/russell-crowe-gladiator-maximus-originally-died\/\">to Empire<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd my joke used to be, \u2018Yeah, what does Maximus do? Does he end up running a f\u2013king pizzeria by the Colosseum?\u2019 He has a singular purpose, which is to meet his wife in the afterlife and apologize for not being there for her. And that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGladiator\u201d was the second highest grossing movie in 2000 and brought in $465.4 million. <\/p>\n<p>The action movie was also the most-nominated film at the 2001 Academy Awards with 12 nods and five wins.<\/p>\n<p>Crowe took home the trophy for Best Actor while the project also won for Best Picture.<\/p>\n<p>The sequel, meanwhile, which also starred\u00a0Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn, brought in over $462 million. At the Oscars, the movie scored one nomination for Best Costume Design.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, \u201cGladiator II\u201d screenwriter David Scarpa opened up about the hardships of bringing a sequel to life. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington in \u201cGladiator II.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Paramount\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>A shot of Joseph Quinn from \u201cGladiator II.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Paramount\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cYou have to deal with people\u2019s emotional relationship to [the original] movie and to their proprietary feelings about it,\u201d he told <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/movies\/movie-features\/making-of-gladiator-ii-ridley-scott-paul-mescal-1236066080\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hollywood Reporter<\/a> at the time. \u201cAs much as Ridley wanted the continuity of the world, he was not going to just do a greatest hits album of the first movie.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Mescal, 29,<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/11\/13\/entertainment\/paul-mescal-on-the-pressure-to-make-gladiator-ii-a-success\/\"> touched on the demand<\/a> of stepping into a beloved franchise, too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do feel the pressure, and I do feel the desire for this to make money,\u201d Mescal\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2024\/film\/news\/paul-mescal-gladiator-2-stunts-hollywood-offers-1236207734\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told Variety<\/a> in November 2024. \u201cThe box office needs a shot in the arm, and if films like \u2018Gladiator II\u2019 aren\u2019t doing it, it would be concerning. So I do feel a responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The actor first saw the original movie when he was 13.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was at home with my dad,\u201d Mescal said. \u201cI feel like for a lot of dads it was a big film, like, \u2018Come on, son, let\u2019s watch \u2018Gladiator!\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p>Choosing to work on \u201cGladiator II\u201d was a no-brainer for the \u201cHamlet\u201d star.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was really just Ridley and \u2018Gladiator,\u2019 and I felt like I was ripe for this kind of big film,\u201d he continued. \u201cI played sports growing up; I know what it is to throw myself around. I look Roman. All of those things. And it\u2019s Ridley Scott!\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Fred Hechinger, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn in the action sequel. <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Paramount\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal in a fight scene from \u201cGladiator II.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Paramount\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During his interview, Mescal gushed over meeting Washington, 70, for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHoly f\u2013k, I\u2019m in a scene with Denzel! It could have been overwhelming,\u201d he recounted, \u201cbut I kind of set out in my head that I\u2019m totally entitled to admire this man and see him as an idol, but I\u2019ve got to protect myself from that when we\u2019re working together. I\u2019ve got to treat Denzel as I would any other actor.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Despite looking up to Washington on set, Mescal opted to not reach out to Crowe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI felt confident having Ridley at the helm and as I work as an actor, ultimately,  I have to stand behind this entirely by myself. There\u2019s no excuses,\u201d he explained to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YBghyYvJeas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EXTRA<\/a> at the time of the film\u2019s release. \u201cYou can\u2019t rely on anybody behind the script and the director and yourself.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Russell Crowe was not entertained. The actor, 61, is sharing his issue with the 2024 film \u201cGladiator II.\u201d In Ridley Scott\u2019s 2000 hit movie \u201cGladiator,\u201d Crowe starred as Maximus alongside Joaquin Phoenix. The Oscar winner had a problem with the sequel revealing that his deceased character fathered an illegitimate son (Paul Mescal) with Lucilla, played [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2192833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25174],"tags":[309534,21751,21741,21993,21912,37999,339676,338698],"class_list":["post-2192832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gossip","tag-action","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-films","tag-movies","tag-paul-mescal","tag-russell-crowe","tag-sequels"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Russell-Crowe-trashes-Paul-Mescals-Gladiator-II-Crazy.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2192832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2192832"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2192832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2192834,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2192832\/revisions\/2192834"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2192833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2192832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2192832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2192832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}