Hollywood veteran Denzel Washington has revealed that a same-sex kiss was cut from the upcoming film Gladiator II. Washington, who stars in the film directed by Ridley Scott, was asked in a recent interview – “How gay is the Roman empire?”
Washington replied, “I actually kissed a man in the film but they took it out, they cut it, I think they got chicken. I kissed a guy full on the lips and I guess they weren’t ready for that yet. I killed him about five minutes later. It’s Gladiator. It’s the kiss of death,” he told Gayety.
It turns out that’s not the only kiss that was cut. The film’s lead actor, Paul Mescal, has revealed that an improvised kiss between him and Pedro Pascal was also removed from the movie.
“There was a moment when we were rehearsing my fight scene with Pedro, and I had an idea towards the end of the scene to kiss Pedro on the forehead,” Mescal told Entertainment Weekly.
“I did it in one of the takes, and then we’re getting the radio messages back to Ridley (in video village), and I was like, ‘Ridley: Kiss on the forehead, did you like it? Yay or nay?’”
“There was radio silence for a second. His radio crackles back, and (Ridley) goes, ‘I’m afraid I did.’”
About Gladiator II
Gladiator II is the sequel to the Oscar-winning 2000 film Gladiator starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix picks up years after Crowe’s character captivated the Colosseum in the original.
Mescal plays Lucius, Maximus’ nephew (Crowe played the character in the original) forced into the brutal life as a gladiator, who tries to enter the Colosseum to take back the Roman empire, to which he is the rightful heir.
Denzel Washington plays Macrinus – a former slave who amassed great wealth and has an interest in capturing and enslaving other gladiators.
Gladiator II is in cinemas from 15 November.