Paul Mescal was cast in Gladiator II after ’30-minute Zoom call’

Paul Mescal has revealed he was cast in Gladiator II after a 30-minute Zoom call with director Ridley Scott.

The Irish actor is set to star alongside Denzel Washington in the sequel to 2000’s Gladiator, released next month.

Speaking to the BBC’s Graham Norton about the casting process, Mescal joked: “Ridley does not waste time.

“I thought there would be camera tests and auditions, but we Zoomed for half an hour, spoke for 10 mins about the part and then 20 minutes about Gaelic football, his dog and his wife.”

Mescal continued: “I thought there would be more, but he called a few weeks later to offer me the part.

“I think he just goes by instinct, on set and off, and I’m very glad that’s the way it went.”

Of course, by the time Mescal spoke to Scott for the role, the director and film studio would already have been well aware of his acting abilities, box office power and popularity with awards voters.

The actor shot to fame in 2020 in the BBC adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People, which became an early TV hit of the lockdown pandemic.

He subsequently appeared in All of Us Strangers, Foe and The Lost Daughter, and was Oscar nominated for his performance in 2022’s Aftersun.

In Gladiator II, Mescal plays the grandson of the emperor of Rome, played by Richard Harris in the first film.

Mescal’s character Lucius is forced into slavery following an invasion by Roman soldiers, and must fight in the Colosseum as a gladiator to restore Rome’s glory.

Asked how he got into shape for the role, Mescal said: “I ate a lot of chicken and lifted heavy things.

“I was working with a trainer who circled me like a shark… He went to town, and I saw him every day. It was fun.”

Another of Norton’s guests, Eddie Redmayne, also discussed his physical training for The Day of the Jackal, joking: “I profoundly disagree with Paul – it was not fun, it was horrendous.”

The original Gladiator made $465m (£358m) globally and won five Oscars, including best picture and best actor for Russell Crowe.

Mescal’s interview on The Graham Norton Show will be broadcast on Friday at 22:40 on BBC One and iPlayer.