“I would be deeply depressed”: Paul Mescal is very afraid that “Gladiator 2” will change his life forever

Paul Mescal is one of the most interesting and promising actors of our time. He made a name for himself through his naturalistic intensity with “Aftersun” (for which he received an Oscar nomination), “Normal People” and “God’s Creatures”. We’ll be able to see the shooting star on the big screen again soon, as the drama “All Of Us Strangers” premieres in German cinemas on February 8. In the official FILMSTARTS review, we gave it the absolute highest rating

Will this also happen with “Gladiator 2”? In any case, the historical epic from ‘Napoleon’ maker Ridley Scott will ensure that Paul Mescal celebrates his big debut in blockbuster cinema. It will be some time before the film is released in this country (the sequel is currently scheduled for November 21, 2024). But Mescal spoke to it in an interview now spoke about how the film could change his life – and also revealed fears:

Should Paul Mescal be afraid of “Gladiator 2”?

“I don’t know what the difference will be compared to before. Maybe that’s naive? Will more people stop me on the street? I would be deeply depressed if that were the case. I hope it doesn’t happen like that. I’ll have the answer soon, but if the movie affects my life this way, I’m in a bad place. Then I would have to go ahead and make a boring piece that no one wants to see. It scares me very much.”

Paul Mescal should probably prepare for the fact that ‘Gladiator 2’ will give him another big boost in popularity. It remains to be seen whether he will really hardly be able to walk across the street untouched. As Mescal explains in the interview, his fear also has to do with the fact that people may not realize how much work he actually puts into his profession:

“In recent years, there has been talk about films and series as content. That’s a dirty word. It’s not content, just hard work. I don’t want to sound snobbish, but there are two parallel industries. One that operates with a lack of care and artistic integrity. The other is what it has always been: the craft of filmmaking, directing, lighting, production design. That keeps the artists alive.”