“Gladiator II” star and “Aftersun” Oscar nominee Paul Mescal recently spoke to The Sunday Times and railed against labeling films as “content.” He called the descriptor a “filthy word,” one that seemingly does not apply to movies such as Ridley Scott’s long-awaited “Gladiator” sequel due to its cinematic craftsmanship. It was also not made solely with the goal of boosting social media followers and engagement.
“Over the last few years people have been talking about films as content. That’s a filthy word. It’s not ‘content’, it’s fucking work,” Mescal said. “I’m not being snobby, but there are two concurrent industries. One that works with a lack of care, artistic integrity. Go nuts, make stuff with Instagram followers as a factor, whatever…But the other is what has always been there — the craft of film — making, directing, lighting and production design. That keeps artists alive.”
Mescal is a well-respected actor among cinephiles thanks to his role in “Aftersun” and his breakout turn as the co-lead of Hulu’s “Normal People,” but now he’s getting a blockbuster launching pad by leading “Gladiator II” opposite Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn. Mescal previously told The Times UK that he’ll be “profoundly depressed” if the sequel makes him wildly famous.
“I’ll have an answer next year, but if [the film] impacts my life in that way, I’ll be in a bad spot. I’d have to move on and do an obtuse play nobody wants to see,” he said at the time.
“Gladiator II” opens in theaters nationwide Nov. 22 from Paramount Pictures.
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