Denzel Washington has taken up almost every role in his decades-long career. But portraying a gay character? That almost happened in Gladiator II.
Or, rather, it did happen… but didn’t make the final cut.
Speaking to Gayety during the UK red carpet premiere of the film on Wednesday (November 13), the veteran actor who portrays Macrinus in the director Ridley Scott’s sequel shared that his character imparts a “kiss of death” on another man but the scene was ultimately cut.
The revelation came after Denzel was asked “how gay” the Roman empire was.
“The entire Empire?” the 69-year-old actor quipped before admitting, “I actually kissed a man in the film but they took it out, they cut it. I think they got chicken.”
“I kissed a guy full on the lips and I guess they weren’t ready for that yet,” he continued, adding. “I killed him about five minutes later. It’s ‘Gladiator.’ It’s the kiss of death.”
A source confirmed to The NYPost that the kiss was indeed filmed, clarifying that “it wasn’t a sexy kiss,” aligning with Denzel’s description of the lip-lock “kiss of death.”
Gladiator II also features Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal, who portray Acacius and Lucius, respectively. Mescal recently shared with Entertainment Weekly that their own forehead kiss didn’t make it to the final cut either.
“I didn’t tell Ridley I was gonna do it,” “I didn’t tell Ridley I was gonna do it,” the 28-year-old actor confessed. “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?’”
“There was radio silence for a second,” Mescal continued. “His radio crackles back, and [Ridley] goes, ‘I’m afraid I did.’ ”
“I think Ridley’s one of the funniest men I’ve ever come across,” he added, admitting that the forehead kiss was eventually scrapped.
Scott, for his part, admitted to not recalling why he decided to scrap off the kiss.
“I can’t remember… I can’t remember,” he told Cinema Blend. “The director’s cut,” he hinted, suggesting the kiss could possibly make its way into a later extended release of the film.
Two weeks later, Scott revealed that there won’t be a director’s cut of Gladiator II, meaning the kiss scene may never make it to the screen after all.
“No, I’ve earned the right to have my final cut,” the phenomenal director 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 added, “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.”
