Denzel Washington details 'final' career plans after 'Gladiator II'

Gladiator II, the sequel to the 2000 epic drama directed by Ridley Scott and starring Oscar winner Russell Crowe, saw some new faces and characters in the storyline.

Even though fans of the original series would be able to easily recognize the same intense story-telling and grand visuals, however, the cast is mostly new to the franchise.

With the likes of Paul Mescal starring as Lucius, who is taken as a prisoner of the Roman army and made a gladiator, alongside Denzel Washington, who plays the villain character of Macrinus, a dealer who Who one day, hopes to control Rome.

HuffPost particularly sat down with The Equalizer star discussing the switch of nature of the character for his on-screen role that he took on.

When asked what helps him derive commitment towards topics like humanity and justice in reference to his Gladiator II character, Washington replied, “This character isn’t so nice — he does have an element of justice and how he likes to convey justice with the actions that he does. He wants to rule the world, and he’s willing to do anything to do that, use anyone to do that.”

Additionally, when he was asked of his retirement plans and which performance would be his final, the iconic actor revealed, “I would say either Othello or King Lear would be my final performances once I decide to step away.”

“I started with Othello at 22 years old and I’m performing it at 70 on Broadway. I think I understand him better now. I know I understand him better now. It’s a great role, challenging, but I love challenging roles,” he further added.

“I don’t know how many films I have left in me, but I want them to be the best. I’ve been talking to some great directors so I’m not done yet. I have a five-year plan and a 20-year plan. I have seven more films to produce for August Wilson,” Denzel Washington concluded.