Paul Mescal reveals the one ‘filthy word’ he hates his movies being compared to

Gladiator II star Paul Mescal is on the cusp of superstardom and becoming an A-lister. However, there’s one word he despises his films being called. So stop calling them that, okay?

In Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, Mescal plays Lucius Verus – the son of Maxmius (Russell Crowe) and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). After being taken prisoner by the Roman army, he steps up as a gladiator and fights for his survival. Oh, and there are sharks and rhinos in the Colosseum. Look, any movie featuring those bad boys of the animal kingdom instantly makes this a must-watch for audiences around the world. Seriously, just take our money already!

Early reactions for Gladiator II praised the epic film. Mescal, in particular, has been singled out for his stellar performance as Lucius and carrying the weighty expectations of this long-gestating sequel. 

The actor is out and about on a media tour at the moment, promoting the film and discussing his own acting career. Speaking to The Times, he opened up about the only thing he hates his movies being called. He said:

“Over the last few years people have been talking about films as content. That’s a filthy word. It’s not ‘content’, it’s f***ing work.”

Mescal explained how there are two different industries at play. The first consists of people who make soulless content for social media likes and their 15 minutes of fame, while the second requires actual craft and ability, and that’s the camp filmmaking falls into. For him, it’s all about “artistic integrity” – not content. It’s an interesting debate, as some may argue the likes of Instagram Reels and TikTok videos also contain creativity and merit their own existence, but that’s a discussion for the internet to fight about.

Considering the importance and popularity of the original Gladiator film, the role of Lucius was always going to be a major gamble for Paul Mescal. Sequels are often dubbed cash grabs and actors need to work harder to convince audiences that these films deserve their place in the lore.

In Mescal’s case, his character’s history gets “upgraded” in Gladiator II, which might not appease fans of the original movie. In Gladiator, Lucius, played by Spencer Treat Clark, is revealed to be named after his father, Lucius, but he admires the bravery and warrior escapades of Maximus. In the sequel, Lucilla reveals to her son that Maximus is actually his real father in a Days of Our Lives kind of twist.

Mescal knew of this change to the backstory in his initial discussions with Scott. He told Entertainment Weekly: “He mentioned it in the talk, but then it’s an affronting thing to see it written on the page, and [to have] that responsibility fall on your shoulders is interesting.”

Whether Gladiator II proves capable of building the same legacy and reverence as its predecessor remains to be seen. However, no one can deny the ingredients for success are all present. How can a film that features the likes of Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Derek Jacobi not be good? Regardless of what anyone thinks of Gladiator II, just don’t call it content. It’ll make Paul Mescal mad and he might just throw a shark at you in retaliation.