Gladiator 2 Director Ridley Scott Gave Paul Mescal A Brutal Piece Of Advice On Day One

Ridley Scott is a straight shooter. The filmmaking legend has never shied away from sharing his unfiltered opinion on anything, whether that's directing his actors and crew or speaking to the press. The notorious curmudgeon simply doesn't know how to beat around the bush, as evidenced by the time he revealed he was "pissed" not have been asked to direct the "Alien" sequel, or when, during a behind-the-scenes featurette for 1982's "Blade Runner," he delivered this helping of classic Scott straight-talk:

"I don't like discussion. I know exactly what I want [...] that's the director's job. The director's not meant to stand there and consult with half a dozen people in the room. The term director means 'Direct, mate. Do the job.'"

Now, Scott is gearing up to drop his 24-years-in-the-making sequel to "Gladiator." After studios passed on his unusual idea for a supernatural follow-up to his 2000 historical epic, and Nick Cave's unhinged idea for a "Gladiator" sequel never went beyond a script, Scott is finally delivering the long-awaited "Gladiator 2" with Paul Mescal in the starring role of Lucius Verus, former heir to the Roman Empire and the likely son of Russell Crowe's Maximus from the first movie. As such, Mescal becomes the latest actor to experience Scott's no-nonsense approach, and according to the up and coming star, the director is no less rigid in his view of moviemaking now than he was in the early '80s.

When he's not busy spoiling the ending of "Gladiator 2," Ridley Scott is happily providing fans of his crotchety demeanor more gold. One contender for the best bit of Scott grouchiness to come out of the "Gladiator 2" press cycle was when he was asked by Empire magazine (via Deadline) whether he'd contacted "Gladiator" star Russell Crowe about the sequel and responded with, "I think we have a good relationship. I hope we do. As long as he doesn't start b***hing about how he wasn't consulted. Why would I? He's dead!"

Now, Crowe's replacement, Paul Mescal, has revealed his experience of dealing with Scott's no-nonsense approach. Speaking to Total Film, the "Aftersun" star recalled his first day on the set of "Gladiator 2," remembering how he walked out to "a couple of hundred to a thousand SAs [supporting artists/extras], with fires burning, and the walls of Morocco." The sheer scale of the set prompted Mescal to respond with "Ooh – this is f*****g big." But he didn't allow himself to be intimidated by such a large-scale production, with the Irish star revealing that Scott gave him some pretty direct advice before filming begun. Mescal said:

"But... the first thing [Ridley] said before filming was, 'Your nerves are no f*****g good to me.' Which is Ridley in a nutshell, but it's the perfect thing to say, because it's so liberating. He's totally right."

Paul Mescal's star may still be on the rise, but he's no rookie. The actor has displayed a truly stunning range over the past few years, delivering a performance beyond his years in the Hulu/BBC series "Normal People," before that breakout role allowed him to showcase his abilities in films such as sentimental drama "All of Us Strangers" and the aforementioned "Aftersun," for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. That said, prior to accepting the lead role in "Gladiator 2," Mescal simply hadn't taken on a project of this magnitude.

For fans of the actor, one of the most interesting aspects of "Gladiator 2" will be to see how Mescal handles this role. While he's been a leading man before, all of those parts were in comparatively small-scale dramas, and it will be truly impressive if Mescal is able to command the screen effectively in Scott's epic sequel. No doubt the man can handle such a task.

So, while Ridley Scott's "advice" to his young star might have been a tad brazen and terse, it was informed by the director's sense of what Mescal must have been feeling, and seemingly had the right effect. The director was surely aware that Mescal was yet to lead a movie as big as "Gladiator 2" and, as he tends to do, cut right to the nub of the issue by telling him to keep his nerves at bay. We'll see just how well Scott's straight-talking worked out when "Gladiator 2" hits theaters on November 22, 2024.