Paul Mescal won 'Gladiator II' role with 'Zoom Call with Ridley Scott'

Paul Mescal has announced that he has won his role Gladiator II after a 30-minute Zoom call with director Ridley Scott.

The Irish actor stars alongside Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal and Connie Nielsen in the sequel to Scott's “2000.” gladiatoris expected to be published in November.

Mescal spoke about his short audition process during an interview with the BBC's Graham Norton, saying: “Ridley doesn't waste any time.”

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

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

“I think he just follows his instincts, both on and off set, and I'm very glad it turned out that way.”

Mescal's star has risen since his breakout role in the 2020 BBC drama Normal peoplein which he starred opposite Daisy Edgar-Jones in the adaptation of Sally Rooney's best-selling novel.

He has since been nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Movie Aftersun (2022) and was also published in We are all strangers, Enemy And The Prodigal Daughter.