Paul Mescal is bringing his Irish charm Down Under.
The actor looked suave in a double-breasted coffee brown suit at the Australian premiere of his new movie, Gladiator II, in Sydney on Wednesday, October 30. Mescal was effortlessly chic as he posed on the red carpet with a hand in his pocket and his white shirt unbuttoned down to his chest.
Mescal, 28, was joined by costars Connie Nielsen and Fred Hechinger, and producer Michael Pruss.
Mescal has been on promotional duties for Gladiator II — which hits theaters on Friday, November 22 — around the world, including attending a special screening in New York City and a talk show appearance with costar Denzel Washington in the U.K.
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The actor said on the Friday, October 25, episode of the BBC’s The Graham Norton Show that he refused to give up drinking and smoking while training to get into peak condition to play lead character Lucius Verus.
“I ate a lot of chicken and lifted heavy things,” Mescal said of his physical transformation. “I was working with a trainer who circled me like a shark and said, ‘There is a canvas to work with.’ He went to town, and I saw him every day. It was fun.”
However, he added, “I did everything he asked but I like to drink, and I like to smoke, so I drew a line in the sand where those were concerned.”
Mescal also admitted to being starstruck when he first saw Washington on set.
“It was a big day in my life — it was amazing. I spent the first day thinking, ‘I must go introduce myself to him,’ and I stood there for several minutes before I [decided], ‘Not today,’” said the actor. “The next day I decided to be a brave boy.”
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Set over two decades after the events of the original Gladiator movie starring Russell Crowe, Mescal plays the son of Crowe’s character, Maximus, who is forced into slavery and becomes a gladiator to earn his freedom.
The film also stars Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Derek Jacobi.
