- Paul Mescal is one of Hollywood’s rising stars
- And after landing the lead role in Gladiator II, the actor says it’s all thanks to his previously broken nose
- Mescal also recalled taking his parents to the Oscars
Paul Mescal is the recent star of Gladiator II.
But now the Irish actor, 28, says he believes it was one specific facial attribute that landed him the lead role of Lucius Verus – and it’s all thanks to an old injury.
After director Sir Ridley Scott revealed that Mescal reminds him of Richard Harris – who played Marcus Aurelius, grandfather to Lucius, in the first Gladiator movie – the young actor told W Magazine that it was his youth as a keen sportsman which created the similarity in appearance.
“I think it was this,” said Mescal, touching his nose. “The nose that caused me great concern in secondary school. It was broken when I was playing Gaelic football.
“We were warming up for a match, I went down to pick up a ball, and somebody got there before me and his head cracked me in the face. I was out cold, then I woke up and there was this black mass underneath my eye. I was like, ‘What’s that?’ It was my nose impairing my vision all the way across.”
Mescal added, “[I] didn’t know it was going to be the reason that Ridley Scott cast me in Gladiator II.”
Paul Mescal’s ‘fell in love with’ Gladiator
While he may have had the nose of a Gladiator for much of his childhood, Mescal says he wasn’t allowed to watch the original movie until his teenage years.
The actor was just four years old when Gladiator premiered in 2000 – but says his parents “were responsible and didn’t allow me to watch it until I was 13”.
“I watched it with my dad on TV and absolutely fell in love with it. It became one of my favorite films,” Mescal admitted.
“I’m comfortable making the admission here that I played with fake swords until I was around 15. Most children stop when they are 10. So, to be given an opportunity [in Gladiator II] to do it in a way that is the least embarrassing way possible, I was super excited to do that.”
Paul Mescal recalls taking his parents to the Oscars
And although he may be rising through the ranks to become one of Hollywood’s A-List, Mescal is never far from his roots – often bringing his family along to public events.
When he was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Aftersun in 2023, Mescal took his parents along to the ceremony – and they had the time of their lives!
“My mum’s great in that environment,” he admitted. “Dad got to dance beside Cher at an afterparty. He likes to say that he was dancing with Cher, but he was dancing in her vicinity. He was the happiest man on the planet.”
Mescal went on, “The thing about the Oscars is you’re able to go to the bar during it. They’ve got people who come and fill your seats. Mum felt like it was too rude to leave, so she became close friends with the people who were coming to fill the seats.
“I’d come back and she’d be like, ‘Do you want to go back to the bar again? I’m having a better time without you.’”
