Denzel Washington Explains His Gladiator 2 Casting

Summary

• Denzel Washington reveals that there aren’t many films he’s truly ”
  interested in
  ” making anymore, but that he was ”
  inspired by
  ”
  Gladiator 2
  director Ridley Scott.
• Washington and Scott previously worked together on
  American Gangster
  , and Washington says that the director is still very creatively energized.
• Washington plays Macrinus in
  Gladiator 2
  , an arms dealer who could play a similar role in the story to Oliver Reed’s Proximo from the original film.

Gladiator 2 star Denzel Washinton explains why he accepted a role in Ridley Scott’s upcoming sequel. Serving as a follow-up to 2000’s Gladiator, Scott’s anticipated historical epic takes place 20 years after Maximus’ (Russell Crowe) death, following Paul Mescal’s Lucius as he becomes a fighter in the Colosseum. The Gladiator 2 cast features a mix of newcomers and actors from the original, including Washington as Macrinus, a wealthy arms dealer who also owns a host of gladiator fighters.

In a recent interview with Empire, Washington touches on his decision to join Gladiator 2, revealing that Scott himself is a major reason why he took on the role. According to the actor, he feels he’s now at a point in his career where there aren’t many films he’s truly “interested in” making, but working with Scott was reason enough to take on the part of Macrinus. Check out Washington’s comment below:

“There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in, and I have to be inspired by the filmmaker, and I was tremendously inspired by Ridley. We had a great go-round the first go-round [on
American Gangster
], and here we are. 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.”

2007’s
American Gangster
was a success critically and commercially, and it was nominated for two Oscars.

Who Is Denzel Washington’s Character In Gladiator 2?

Macrinus Could Be A Crucial Figure In The Story

While relatively little has been revealed about Washigton’s Macrinus in Gladiator 2, the description of his character as an arms dealer and someone who traffics in gladiators is telling. Like any sequel that comes more than two decades after its predecessor, Gladiator 2 will have the challenging job of recapturing the magic of the original while also feeling fresh and new. Macrinus seemingly occupies an important role in this regard.

Though
Gladiator 2
is drawing from real historical events and people, it remains unclear how much of Macrinus’ real-life story will actually make it into the film.

From what’s been revealed thus far, Macrinus is a character very much like Oliver Reed’s Proximo from 2000’s Gladiator. Proximo is essentially a former slave who worked his way up to becoming a wealthy slave owner, and he eventually becomes something of a mentor to Maximus. It’s entirely possible that Macrinus will occupy a similar role for Lucius. Real history also, however, tells us more about how Washington’s character could factor into the sequel’s story.

Macrinus was involved in a plot to assassinate a Roman emperor before ascending to the position himself, suggesting that Washington’s Gladiator 2 character could actually end up playing a far more prominent and important role than Proximo did in the original. Macrinus is evidently a character with a great deal of historical and potential storytelling importance, and this context certainly could also be part of why Washington agreed to play him. Though Gladiator 2 is drawing from real history, it remains unclear how much of Macrinus’ story will actually make it into the film.

What Other Movies Is Washington Expected To Appear In?

Washington is currently 69 years old and is evidently entering into the latter stages of his acting career. Seeing as he’s achieved a great deal of success in the field both creatively and commercially over the past five decades, there’s seemingly less pressure to be constantly working and starring in new films. Washington’s comments and his new vetting process suggest he’ll be working less moving forward, but it also makes the projects he does do even more exciting.

With Washington being more picky about what roles he takes on, any movies he does appear in from this point forward are clearly things he believes in. This is great news for Gladiator 2 in the sense that it may end up being a worthy successor to the beloved original, but it’s also great news for High and Low, the Akira Kurosawa remake he’s working on with director Spike Lee. Washington and Lee, reinforcing Washington’s comment, have a history of working together on interesting films, and the duo have made movies like Inside Man, Malcolm X, and He Got Game.

Washington is also slated to work with frequent collaborator Antoine Fuqua on a movie about Hannibal, the ancient Carthaginian general, for Netflix. These three upcoming projects, then – Gladiator 2, High & Low, and the untitled Hannibal movie – are seemingly representative of the types of movies audiences can expect from Washington moving forward. It’s possible that more reunions with previous collaborators could be on the cards for the iconic actor moving forward.

Gladiator 2 Has A High Bar For Success

Ridley Scott’s 2000 Original Remains A Career Highlight

The original Gladiator is one of the most beloved entries in Scott’s decades-long filmography. The film earned positive reviews from critics, but was also a major box office success. Scott returning more than twenty years later to pick up the story after the Gladiator ending is evidently a risky proposition, even with talented cast members like Mescal, Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Derek Jacobi, and Fred Hechinger involved.

With Scott recently declaring Gladiator 2 “one of the best things [he’s ever made]” combined with Washington’s latest comments, however, it’s looking promising that the anticipated sequel will deliver. While Washington only has three projects in his future at the moment, it’s possible that success for the sequel would make him more likely to collaborate with Scott again over the next few years. In any case, anticipation for Gladiator 2 is understandably high, and there’s now added pressure on the film to be good if it’s part of a reduced output for Washington in the future.

Key Context

• In the last five years, Denzel Washington has only appeared in three movies: The Little Things (2021), The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) and The Equalizer 3 (2023).
• The Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score for Gladiator (2000) is 80%.

Source: Empire