Paul Mescal issues toe-curling response to meeting King Charles at Gladiator II premiere

The star of Gladiator 2, Paul Mescal, has opened up about meeting King Charles at the action-packed movie world premiere and admitted that it wasn't something he was expecting

Actor Paul Mescal remarked on rubbing shoulders with royalty at his latest film premiere.

The star admitted the meeting with King Charles wasn't exactly on his agenda while at the 'Gladiator II' world premiere last week. The 28-year-old stars as adult Lucius in Ridley Scott's sequel to the classic film. Last week, the movie premiered at London's Leicester Square as the King made a solo appearance at the event.

He walked the red carpet alone as wife Queen Camilla rested following her recent chest infection. The London gala marked the new King's first film premiere and benefited the Film and TV Charity in its centennial year. A-listers like Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal also featured among the guests.

Paul talked to Variety during the Los Angeles red carpet about his brush with the King, saying: "How wild is it? It’s definitely not something that I thought was in the bingo cards. I’m Irish, so it’s not on the list of priorities. But it’s an amazing thing for Ridley because I know how important that is for him."

He added: "So to see his film celebrated in that context was pretty special." Paul also admitted to struggling to make out their conversation at the event due to its clamorous nature, resulting in him "nodding along and smiling". The sequel revolves around Lucius Verus, originally portrayed as a boy in the first Gladiator film, now played by Mescal.

Lucius, after dodging captivity following the downfall of Commodus—who was portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in the hit film Gladiator—joins a rebellion against the expanding Roman Empire. In a desperate battle to save his wife, Lucius is ensnared and enslaved by Marcus Acacius's troops, played by Pascal, and is thrown into a life of gladiatorial combat after being purchased by Macrinus, depicted by Washington, driven by a quest for vengeance.

At the movie's launch event, actor Paul gushed to PA news, confessing he would "absolutely love" to be part of a potential third instalment of Gladiator, especially since director Sir Ridley hinted at possibly pursuing a sequel. Opening up on what went into training for the role, Paul admitted he could inflict real injury.

He was forced to undergo gruelling training sessions which led him to work with a fitness coach, ride horses and learn to fight - disciplines he'd had no experience in prior to filming the blockbuster. As a result, he was then shocked by his own body as he realised the strength he'd gained from months of training and shared how "weird" it really felt as it forced him to make important changes.

"You start feeling like your body can inflict damage, which is weird", he told The Sun, "It changes the way you move and operate. And that’s a fun kind of place to live when it’s make-believe. On a film this scale you have the best trainer you could ever imagine, you have your food delivered to the door. That requires discipline, but it’s not hard work."

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