Paul Mescal Talks Bulking Up For 'Gladiator' Sequel & Why He Didn't Want to Look a Certain Way

Paul Mescal is opening up about the muscle he put on for his upcoming movie Gladiator 2!

The 28-year-old actor bulked up for the role in the film, but he reveals he only gained as much as he did because he didn’t want to look a certain way.

If you missed them, check out the first look photos of Paul‘s physique in the film!

Keep reading to find out more…

“I just wanted to be big and strong and look like somebody who can cause a bit of damage when shit hits the fan,” he told Vanity Fair. “I think also, sometimes, one could, in striving for that perfect look, end up looking more like an underwear model than a warrior.”

“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,” Paul continued. “It has an impact on you psychologically in a way that is useful for the film.”

However, Paul‘s co-star Pedro Pascal found his weight gain to be challenging going up against him.

“It’s brutal, man. I call him Brick Wall Paul,” Pedro told VF. “He got so strong. I would rather be thrown from a building than have to fight him again. To go up against somebody that fit and that talented and that much younger… Outside of Ridley [Scott, director] being a total genius, Paul is a big reason as to why I would put my poor body through that experience.”

Earlier this year, Paul explained why he said yes to the upcoming movie.