Paul Mescal reveals how he scored 'Gladiator II' role after brief talk with Ridley Scott

Paul Mescal left Ridley Scott impressed in just one 30-minute Zoom call, which led to his lead role in Gladiator II.

In Gladiator II, Paul stars as Lucius Verus, the son of Russell Crowe’s character Maximus from the original movie. Lucius is captured and forced to pay for his freedom by fighting in the arena just like his father. The movie also stars Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal and Connie Nielsen.

Mescal got candid about his short audition on BBC’s The Graham Norton Show. He said: “Ridley does not waste time.”

He added: “I thought there would be camera tests and auditions, but we Zoomed for half an hour, spoke for 10 mins about the part and then 20 minutes about Gaelic football, his dog and his wife.”

The Normal People star added: “I thought there would be more, but he called a few weeks later to offer me the part. I think he just goes by instinct, on set and off, and I’m very glad that’s the way it went.”

Mescal’s Gladiator II has gotten mostly rave reviews from critics and will hit theaters on November 22.