Is Denzel Washington nearing an acting retirement from the big screen? In a new interview with Empire magazine to promote his role in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator 2,” the two-time Oscar winner admitted the upcoming swords-and-sandals epic was one of the few movies left to make that still interested him. How many more of these roles exist Washington did not reveal.
“There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in, and I have to be inspired by the filmmaker, and I was tremendously inspired by Ridley,” Washington said about agreeing to star in the “Gladiator” sequel.
It helped that Washington already had a great rapport with Scott from their time making 2007’s “American Gangster” together. The actor said: “We had a great go-round the first go-round and here we are. He’s engaged. He’s excited about life and his next film. He’s an inspiration. We should all want to feel like that at 86.”
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Scott feels quite confident about “Gladiator 2,” separately telling Empire that “it’s the best thing I’ve ever made. One of the best things. I’ve made a few good ’uns.”
The sequel stars Paul Mescal as a grown-up Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and the nephew of Commodus, the original film’s antagonist played by Joaquin Phoenix. The story picks up years later with Lucius now living in the northern African region of Numidia, where he was sent by his mother as a child as it was just outside the reach of the Roman Empire. Events bring Lucius back to Rome as a gladiator, where he makes new enemies and reunites with his mother. Washington plays Macrinus, a wealthy powerbroker in Rome who keeps a stable of gladiators for sport.
“Gladiator 2” is set to open in theaters on Nov. 22 from Paramount.
