The new empire: Meet the characters of “Gladiator II”

Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington have gotten early Oscar buzz for their performances in Gladiator II

Gladiator II screenwriter David Scarpa says he found plenty of creative opportunities in picking up the story for the sequel so many years after the original – in which most of the lead characters have passed.

“We started by placing our main character, Lucius [Paul Mescal], in a situation that is diametrically opposed to Maximus’ [Russell Crowe] story,” says Scarpa. “Maximus started as a leader in the Roman military who is facing off with an army of barbarians. Lucius is a barbarian defending his home from the invading Romans. Maximus was loyal to the emperor. Lucius hates Rome and everything to do with it. And yet both end up forced to kill or be killed for the amusement of the mob.”

Watch Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn talk about Gladiator II in this roundtable interview: https://youtu.be/504X_zXULVs?si=FzJhx_j4hhgyGrQU

In the beginning of the film, Lucius is in Numidia, where he has spent most of his life, when the Roman army invades his home. “He is taken prisoner and dragged into Rome. He has an intense anger towards everything Roman that will grow as the film progresses,” Mescal says about his character. “When he enters the arena for the first time, he sees Acacius [Pedro Pascal], the general who led the siege of his city. He sees him sitting there with his wife and he vows to himself to kill them or be killed.”

Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington plays Macrinus, a Roman businessman who has amassed enormous wealth thanks to his acumen and brutal ambition. “I think Macrinus was probably a soldier from North Africa who arrived in Rome as a young man,” says director Ridley Scott. “He worked his way up to being a major supplier of food and other goods to the armies and turned that into an empire of steel foundries, shields, swords, and spears.”

Macrinus is drunk with power, according to Washington. “And power is an addictive drug. Once you have it, you can’t live without it. Once he had a taste for taking, he had to have more. He doesn’t really care about anyone. He uses them. If people can’t make him more powerful, he has no interest in them.”

Pedro Pascal, an Emmy nominee for his role in the post-apocalyptic thriller series The Last of Us, plays General Acacius, a Roman general and the husband of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). He would prefer a quieter life, but he does the current emperors’ bidding to guarantee his wife’s safety.

Audiences may well find their feelings towards the character shifting back and forth, Pascal believes. “You have to pay attention to the where and why of his allegiances,” the actor says. “Because he is leading the Roman army, you’ll think he’s a villain. But Acacius loves Lucilla, a beloved character from the first movie. So, then he’s a good guy. And the movie plays those tricks on us continually.”

Connie Nielsen once again plays Lucilla, the daughter of the esteemed late emperor Marcus Aurelius and the lover of Maximus (played in the first film by Richard Harris and Russell Crowe, respectively). When audiences last saw her, she had left the Colosseum, where both her brother Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) and Maximus lay dead. Perhaps the most skilled politician in the film, Lucilla knows that the fate of Rome will be settled in blood and makes a heartbreaking decision. “Lucilla has had to be a survivor all of her life,” Nielsen says. “She immediately understood what the death of her brother meant for her and those she cares about. When this movie begins, she’s been through 15 years of upheaval and countless pretenders to the throne.”

For director Scott, the twin emperors Geta and Caracalla, played by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger respectively, were a considerable part of the appeal of returning to the world of Gladiator. Historical characters who shared the throne, the brothers’ excesses are legendary. According to the director, Emperor Caracalla and Emperor Geta were, by all historical accounts, damaged goods from birth. “They are already a bit insane when we meet them,” he adds. “Their father succeeded Commodus, and they inherited the throne. They ran Rome a little off the rails. What better way to surpass the dastardly legacy of Commodus than to double down on the malevolence?”

Derek Jacobi reprises his Gladiator role of Roman senator Gracchus. He is Lucilla’s staunchest ally and reluctant co-conspirator. The actor, who became a star almost 50 years ago playing a Roman emperor in the BBC miniseries I, Claudius, was in retirement, but Scott refused to make the sequel without him. Jacobi says that Gracchus is still the same man who had stood with Lucilla against Commodus 20 years earlier. “He hasn’t changed much at all. He still loves a bit of adventure. He’s a great character — a brave man who is eager to test fate and welcomes a challenge.”

Gladiator II opens in cinemas December 4.

Photos and video from Paramount Pictures