‘There Are Very Few Films Left For…’: Denzel Washington Reveals Why He Starred in Gladiator II
Renowned actor Denzel Washington has recently opened up about why he chose to star in the long-anticipated sequel by Ridley Scott, Gladiator 2. It is the sequel to the 2000 blockbuster Gladiator, which picks up two decades after the death of Maximus, as played by Russell Crowe, and chronicles the rise of Lucius to become a gladiator in the Colosseum, portrayed by Paul Mescal. In this historical epic, Washington becomes Macrinus, a rich arms dealer with a stable of gladiators that he pairs with fresh faces and returning characters.
Speaking recently with Empire, Washington discussed what had drawn him to this role in particular. He cited the big draw for him as the opportunity to reunite with Ridley Scott, whom he’d worked with on the highly acclaimed American Gangster. There are, he said, very few films at his level of experience that he is interested in; the chance to work with Scott again was a big factor.
“There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in, and I have to be inspired by the filmmaker,” Washington expressed. He went on to point out what struck him about Scott’s vitality, exuberance, and dynamism: “He’s engaged. He’s excited about life and his next film. He’s an inspiration. We should all want to feel like that at 86.”
In Gladiator 2, his character is that of an ambitious man named Macrinus. He described the character—Macrinus—as a mighty weapon trader with ambitions to become Emperor, and he will do everything in his power to make that a reality. This intricately nuanced character brings a new layer of interest to the movie already housing Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Connie Nielsen.
Although Washington did speak of being choosy about the roles, he has not yet announced his retirement. In addition to Gladiator 2, some of the new projects to which he is committed include the crime thriller High and Low and an untitled film with Antoine Fuqua, their third collaboration after Training Day and The Equalizer. Moreover, Washington will return to Broadway in 2025 in a production of William Shakespeare’s Othello, which also includes Jake Gyllenhaal.
Washington has garnered a total of ten Academy Award nominations, winning two for Glory in 1989 and Training Day in 2001. In addition to acting, he pursued directing, through which he came out with four feature films, while his production credits include much more, among them the August Wilson adaptations Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Even so, his influence on the industry will be felt even more through the next film, The Piano Lesson, starring his son John David Washington and directed by another of his sons, Malcolm Washington.
As Gladiator II is about to come out, so are expectations to see Washington nail the role of Macrinus and a story full of wonder in this much-anticipated sequel. Gladiator II, from Paramount Pictures, will be in theaters Nov. 22.
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