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Movies & TV

20th Jan 2024

Patrick Kielty jokes with Paul Mescal about Gladiator 2 in Late Late interview

Stephen Porzio

Also on the show was Andrew Scott, who said: “He showed me some of the photographs from set. It’s going to be unbelievable.”

As JOE had predicted earlier this week, last night’s episode of The Late Late Show saw host Patrick Kielty in conversation with Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal.

Their chat mainly focused around their new movie – the romantic drama and awards contender All of Us Strangers – the pair’s blossoming bromance and their recent rise in fame.

However, towards the end of the segment, the talk turned to the Irish stars’ upcoming projects – including Mescal’s lead turn in the long-awaited sequel to the Oscar-winning historical epic Gladiator.

The follow-up is helmed by Ridley Scott, who directed the original, and sees Mescal headline a cast that also includes Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal.

In the sequel, currently scheduled for a 22 November 2024 release, the Irish actor plays the grown up version of Lucius – the nephew of the villainous Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) who idolised hero Maximus (Russell Crowe) in the 2000s action epic.

Speaking about Mescal’s part in Gladiator 2, Andrew Scott said: “He showed me some of the photographs from set. It’s going to be unbelievable.”

To this Kielty replied: “We actually have one,” to which Mescal responded laughing but slightly panicked: “No you don’t, you definitely don’t, I hope you don’t.”

The host then said: “We’ve actually smuggled this just off set. This is Paul as a gladiator.”

Kielty proceeded to present Mescal and the audience with an image of the actor where his head had been photographed onto the body of one of the ‘Gladiators’ from the similarly titled game show.

“That’s the general aesthetic of the film,” the Normal People star joked.

gladiator

Paul Mescal’s dad stole Late Late Show with funny line about dancing with Cher

Also, towards the end of the segment, the conversation turned hilariously to the topic of whether or not Mescal’s dad danced with Cher at last year’s Oscars.

“My dad’s version is that was probably waltzing with Cher. Mine was that he was dancing in the vicinity of Cher,” the actor explained.

Kielty then asked Mescal’s father, who was in the audience, if he had in fact danced with Cher.

“I most certainly did,” he declared, before adding: “Cher wasn’t aware of it though,” to huge rapturous laughs.

You can listen to the Mescal and Scott’s Late Late chat with Kielty right here:

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