Paul Mescal was eager to perform a risky horse stunt in “Gladiator II,” leading to a disagreement with director Sir Ridley Scott. Mescal, 28, stars in Scott’s sequel to the Oscar-winning film “Gladiator,” which hits theaters on Friday. He steps into the leading role previously held by Russell Crowe. Like Crowe, Mescal performed most of his own stunts in the action film. However, there was one particular stunt that caused a clash between Mescal and Scott, as revealed by his personal trainer, Tim Blakeley, to The Post.
“He loved the horse riding,” said Blakeley, owner of Media Physiques, a company that helps actors prepare for their roles. “And he actually fought with Ridley [Scott] — he had to fight to get a scene in [the movie] with a horse where he had to jump on a horse that was moving.” According to Blakeley, “Ridley wanted to take it out because he was worried Paul was going to hurt himself.” Despite Scott’s concerns, Mescal managed to convince him to keep the stunt in the film.
Mescal’s determination to perform all stunts was evident throughout the filming. “He would do everything if he could,” Blakeley explained. “He just embraced all the physical aspects of the film.” Mescal’s skills weren’t limited to horseback; he also excelled in the arena. “Paul was just so good at his fight scenes,” Blakeley said. Although Mescal had a stunt double, Zach Roberts, Roberts mostly assisted the actor rather than taking his place.
Mescal discussed the horse jumping stunt on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” He was initially given the go-ahead to perform the stunt during preparation, but Scott was hesitant due to a previous incident on his 1977 film “The Duellists.” Two weeks before the scheduled shoot, Scott told Mescal, “We can’t do that.” Despite this, Mescal persisted, asking Scott daily if he could perform the stunt. On the day before the shoot, Scott finally agreed, but with a condition: “If you come off the horse, you owe me two Bentleys.” Mescal successfully completed the stunt without any accidents or injuries.
Mescal recently recreated the stunt for a video shoot with Hollywood Authentic magazine. “It’s such a brief moment in the film but I think that’s the kind of stuff that I love,” Mescal told the magazine. “It doesn’t matter how small a moment is; all of that stuff adds to the general texture of the film. You want to see the actors in the film doing the things that they’re setting out to do.” He added, “That was a big day for me, because a lot of work had gone into it. It would have been a very public embarrassment had I cocked it up. Public shame. And probably an injury, and then the film would have to stop.” But the show went on. No shame. No injuries. And no Bentleys. “Gladiator II” is in theaters Friday.
Source link: https://nypost.com
