Paul Mescal shares his exhausting training for 'Gladiator 2'

Paul Mescal recently shed some light into how much he 'loved' the training for Gladiator 2 despite how exhausting it was physically.

Due for release later this year, the 28-year-old Irish actor is set to play the role of Roman Empire Lucius Verus, the grown-up son of Lucilla, portrayed as a child in the Oscar-winning original from 2000 starring Russell Crowe.

Now speaking in an interview on Capital Radio with Jordan North on Tuesday, Mescal said that the brutal schedule and physical nature of filming was merely a 'first world problem'.

Jordan asked him of preparing for the huge blockbuster, "Was it a hard, brutal schedule or was it okay when you could just eat everything you wanted?"

Paul replied to this by saying, "It's a first world problem. Like I had every amenity available to me. I had a great trainer. People telling me what and when to eat."

"And I think it's just a by-product. You have to train hard to be in a film like this and I kind of loved it. Of course, it gets tiresome at certain moments."

It comes after Paul was seen shirtless with a burlap skirt on and gold cuffs on his wrists in his trailer while on the set of Gladiator 2. The image was shared by his costar Pedro Pascal on social media

Paul plays Lucius and Pedro is Marcus Acacius. The long-awaited Gladiator sequel, directed by Ridley Scott, will debut 24 years after the original historical film aired in 2000.

Gladiator 2 centers on the 28-year-old's character, Lucius Verus, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). 

Viewers will now see Lucius all grown up, with the story taking place years after the first film ended. 

The star-studded cast also includes Denzel Washington, Derek Jacobi, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, and Lior Raz. The movie is slated to release on November 15, 2024.