Paul Mescal didn’t just casually stroll into Gladiator II—he charged in, armed with chicken breasts and bad habits, ready to brawl in sandals. The 28-year-old actor is stepping into the very large (and possibly sweaty) shoes Russell Crowe left behind, and he’s now sharing what it took to transform into an on-screen warrior.
In big-budget action flicks, it’s all about bulking up, and during a recent stop on The Graham Norton Show, Paul got candid about his journey from “meh” to “muscly.” Spoiler alert: It involved a terrifying trainer, judgment about his limbs, and non-negotiable vices.
“It was all chicken breasts and heavy lifting,” Paul shared, sounding like he was sentenced to a poultry-based prison. “My trainer… bless him… he’s easily the largest human being I’ve ever encountered. The man looks like he eats other trainers for breakfast.”
And if you thought your first gym session was awkward, Paul’s first meeting with this Herculean man sounds like a fever dream.
“I’m standing there, in my underwear, probably just shaking off last night’s hangover, and the guy starts circling me. Full-on shark mode. Just inspecting, like I’m a used car he’s about to resell,” Paul laughed. “‘Hmm,’ he goes, ‘There’s… potential. But… those arms? Yeah, we’re in for a rough one.’”
Honestly, Paul’s transformation sounds like a first-world fever dream—personal chefs delivering food to his door, a trainer from Greek mythology, and muscle assessments straight out of a dystopian gym. But not everything went smoothly. While Paul committed to the workouts, there were two things he flat-out refused to quit.
“I followed all the rules… except the ones that mattered,” Paul confessed with a cheeky grin. “I love drinking, and I love smoking. So yeah, I told the trainer, ‘That line? That’s not getting crossed. You get the biceps; I get the booze.’”
Whether or not Paul’s refusal to swap whiskey for protein shakes will affect his gladiatorial performance is anyone’s guess, but one thing’s for sure—Gladiator II is shaping up to be epic in more ways than one.
Mark your calendars! Gladiator II hits theaters on November 22, and let’s just hope that Paul’s trainer gets some credit for sculpting at least… most of that warrior physique.
