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Denzel Washington Reveals Why THIS Controversial Scene Was Cut From Gladiator II; Says 'They Weren't Ready’
In a recent interview, Denzel Washington opened up about portraying a queer Roman empire in the highly anticipated Gladiator II. With one day left for the release, the actor revealed that a romantic scene between him and a man got cut from the final edit.
Denzel Washington kissed an enemy in Gladiator II, but it didn’t make it to the final cut. Days before the theatrical release of the highly anticipated film, the actor spoke about portraying a queer Roman emperor in the Ridley Scott Directorial. Speaking with Gayety, Washington revealed that he “actually kissed a man in the film.”
Unfortunately, the scene was cut from the final product. According to the actor, the creators “got chicken” and decided to exclude the bold scene. “I kissed a guy full on the lips. I guess they weren’t ready for that yet,” he added. "I killed him about five minutes later. It’s Gladiator. It’s the kiss of death," he quipped.
The Training Day actor wasn’t the only one who cozied up with a man for a scene in the Gladiator sequel. Previously, Paul Mescal, who plays Lucius, revealed to Entertainment Weekly that he and Pedro Pascal’s character shared an intimate moment. The rivals share a warm moment in the heat of the battle, a scene improvised by Mescal himself.
"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," he told the outlet. After the take, he contacted the director through their radio communicators and asked if he liked the forehead kiss, “Yay or nay?'”
Mescal recalled that the radio was silent for a second, and then Scott went, “'I'm afraid I did.'" The actor let out a chuckle after narrating the story and called his director “one of the funniest men I've ever come across."
The highly anticipated sequel picks up two decades after the events of the 2000 blockbuster film, which ended with Maximus (Russell Crowe) killing the vicious Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) and dying on the iconic gladiator fighting pit in the aftermath.
The sequel revolves around Lucius (Mescal), who is captured and brought to Rome as a gladiator by General Marcus Acacius (Pascal). Now, the former must overpower the dirty politics of the city and survive the horrors of the pit. Lucius plans to plot revenge against the Roman General under the guidance of the wealthy and ruthless gladiator wrangler Macrinus (Washington).
Gladiator II will hit the theaters on November 15.
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