Denzel Washington has worked with several esteemed directors throughout his career. Most recently he reunited with his 2007's American Gangster director Ridley Scott for the highly anticipated Gladiator sequel. Ridley’s late brother Tom was also an acclaimed director with whom Washington has worked on five projects including 2006's Deja Vu, 2004's Man on Fire, and 2010's Unstoppable.
Speaking to Empire, the two-time Academy Award-winning actor talked about his experience collaborating with the Scott brothers over the years. “Obviously both are great filmmakers," he admitted. "They can’t miss.”
The actor then confessed that he never compared the brothers because they have different approaches to work and personalities. “I don’t compare directors. You see the different personalities. I suppose they do [have similarities],” he added.
Washington also expressed the thrilling experience of working with Ridley again after more than a decade. He revealed that there are “few films” left for him which he’d sign up for only when he’s inspired by the filmmaker and the vision. “I was tremendously inspired by Ridley,” he added. Continuing his streak of compliments for the director, the actor called him an inspiration for keeping the excitement for his life and films alive. “We should all want to feel like that at 86,” he added.
The Training Day actor will be seen in the upcoming action-adventure Gladiator II as wealthy arms dealer Macrinus. Describing his character Washington quipped that his character “wants to be Emperor and he’s willing to do anything to get there.” The film has a star-studded cast including Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius, Paul Mescal as Lucius, Connie Nielsen as Lucilla Joseph Quinn as Emperor Geta, and many others.
The sequel will focus on Lucius’s journey from an underdog to becoming a gladiator and fighting in the film’s iconic pit. Although Russell Crowe's Maximus met his unfortunate fate in the Oscar-winning original film, his legacy will continue in the sequel! There are a lot of what-ifs and theories circling around, keeping the excitement for the sequel intact!
Gladiator II will be released in theaters internationally on 15 November 2024.
