Paul Mescal’s body change has stunned fans, who have seen his entire buff figure in the new Gladiator II video.
Paul, 28, won over admirers with his sympathetic performance as Connell in Normal People in 2020.
He went on to work in Aftersun and All of Us Strangers, two incredible parts that earned him several honours.
Now, the actor has taken on a completely different role, entering the universe created by Ridley Scott’s legendary 2000 film The Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe.
Although the film has not yet been published, the trailer and promotional photographs for this impending blockbuster have delighted fans – and generated quite a commotion when viewers got a first look at his new ripped physique.
In the picture set during the Roman Empire, the actor transforms into a warrior, a stark contrast to his prior roles.
Asked about his physical transformation for the role on Capital FM, Jordan North asked Paul: ‘We need to talk about the guns as well though…’
Paul laughed and replied humbly: ‘My guns…. right [laughs]’
‘I mean, was it hard, brutal, schedule or was it when you could just eat everything you wanted?’ Jordan asked.
Paul then described his intense schedule and said: ‘It’s a first-world problem. Like I had every amenity available to me. I had a great trainer. People telling me to eat, when to eat. And I think it’s just a byproduct.
‘You have to train hard to be in a film like this and I kind of loved it. Of course, it gets tiresome at certain moments.’
The actor explained that he felt getting into this shape was necessary for this role as the audience’s belief wouldn’t be suspended if he looked like ‘somebody just running around Hackney.’
‘It’s important to address the fact, you’ve got to be careful within the context of this. I had the best trainer in the world, I had the studio and production supporting me in this all and you want to provide a character and a template that allows people’s imaginations to be activated.’
‘You have to make an audience believe this is somebody that would survive intense violence throughout the film and you’re not gonna survive that if you’re somebody just running around Hackney.’
Speaking to ET, the actor also commented that he didn’t want his body to look too ‘aesthetic’.
‘There was a lot of work that went into it,’ he said. ‘Lots of lifting heavy things… lots of squatting, pushing, pulling.
‘We didn’t kind of change the wheel with it, it was all kind of pretty standard in that regard, but I was keen for it not to look false or kind of overly aesthetic in any way.’
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actor added to this aesthetic comment saying that he wasn’t aiming to look like an ‘underwear model’.
‘I just wanted to be big and strong and look like somebody who can cause a bit of damage when s**t hits the fan.
‘I think also, sometimes, one could, in striving for that perfect look, end up looking more like an underwear model than a warrior.’
He also added that he carried himself differently with the added bulk. ‘Muscles start to grow, and that can be deemed aesthetic in certain capacities, but there is something about feeling strong in your body that elicits just a different feeling. You carry yourself differently.
‘It has an impact on you psychologically in a way that is useful for the film.’
Gladiator 2 is set to be released in November 2024.
