Paul Mescal wasn't ready to meet 'Gladiator II' costar Denzel Washington

Paul Mescal got cold feet before meeting Denzel Washington for the first time.

During their appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Paul and Denzel recalled their first encounter.

The Gladiator II costars had an awkward first meeting, Paul recalled, "The first day that I was actually working with Denzel, he was up in the box, and I was rolling around fighting some monkeys or something."

"At the end of the day, I was like, 'I must go up and introduce myself to Denzel,'" he added.

The Foe actor hilariously said, "I was stood at the bottom of the steps, and I stood there for a couple of minutes, and I said, 'Not today' So I bailed out and I ran to my dressing room — like, 'Tomorrow I'm going to be a brave boy.'"

However, Paul and Denzel then crossed paths next day when the actor "waited at the bottom of the stairs" he said, "I was like, 'Just gotta stay put.'"

Paul added, "And Denzel walks down, and it was like, 'Oh, God, here we go.' And he shook my hand, and it just felt extraordinary."

Additionally, Denzel gushes over Paul, saying, "Let me say this: This kid delivers. I'm a pretty good actor. I'm serious, trust me. I saw it when Russell [Crowe, star of Gladiator] did it — he delivered. This kid delivered."