Denzel Washington has revealed that a 'full on' gay 'kiss of death' he filmed for 'Gladiator II' did not make the final cut. Washington, 69, portrays Macrinus, a powerful figure in Rome who commands a troop of gladiators, in Ridley Scott's sequel to his 2000 epic. The character is said to have alluded to past relationships with men, prompting LGBTQ news outlet Gayety to delve deeper during an interview with Washington ahead of the film's premiere on Wednesday. When asked, 'How gay is the Roman empire?' Washington disclosed the existence of his same-sex kiss. 'I actually kissed a man in the film but they took it out, they cut it,' Washington said. 'I think they got chicken.' He further added, 'I kissed a guy full on the lips and I guess they weren't ready for that yet. I killed him about five minutes later. It's 'Gladiator.' It's the kiss of death.' A source confirmed to The Post that the kiss was filmed but clarified that 'it wasn't a sexy kiss,' aligning with Washington's description of it as a 'kiss of death.'
Washington's comments follow news that a forehead kiss between Paul Mescal, 28, and co-star Pedro Pascal in a scene from 'Gladiator II' also didn't make the final cut. 'I didn't tell Ridley I was gonna do it,' Mescal recently told Cinema Blend about the kiss. 'And then I was nervous after we did it because I thought he was going to f–king hate it. So I nervously go over the radio being like, 'Ridley? Did you like the kiss on the forehead? Yay or nay?' Mescal then recounted Scott's response, 'I'm afraid I did.' 'So I don't know where it got lost in the edit, but I trust this man entirely, though. How he cuts his films,' the actor continued. Scott, on his part, admitted he wasn't sure why he cut the moment. 'I can't remember... I can't remember,' he told the outlet. 'The director's cut,' he added, suggesting the kiss might appear in a later extended release of the film. However, Scott recently stated that there won't be a director's cut of 'Gladiator II.' 'No, I've earned the right to have my final cut,' he told Collider. 'I have the final cut anyway, so my cut that goes out usually is my fault. It is my cut. I'll go around in circles. I won't agonize because I cut during the film.' He continued, 'I don't get to the end and then start the cut — God knows that would take too long. I cut as I'm going, and I think it's valid to cut as you're going because you need to see how you're doing and how everyone's performing.' The Post has reached out to reps for Washington and Scott.
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