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Paul Mescal recently revealed that he became so muscular that he felt his body “could inflict real damage” after his intense training sessions for Gladiator II.
The Irish actor, 28, explained that after training with a fitness trainer, riding a horse and learning to fight, he felt powerful enough to take on the role of Lucius.
The star, who had no prior experience in bodybuilding or exercise, transformed for the role in the Ridley Scott sequel, which premiered Friday.
Gladiator II takes place several decades after the first installment and features Lucius (the son of Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla) now living in Numidia, a region of North Africa.
Although he was sent to Numidia as a child, the film follows Lucius’ return to Rome to reunite with his mother, and comes into conflict while doing so.
Now, MailOnline delves into Paul’s grueling transformation into Gladiator and how he owes his first major role in a major blockbuster to his sporting background.
Paul Mescal recently revealed that he was so torn that he felt like his body “could inflict real damage” after his intense training sessions for Gladiator II (due in 2022).
The actor, 28, explained that after training with a fitness trainer, riding a horse and learning to fight, he felt powerful enough to take on the role of Lucius (pictured with Peter Mensah).
fight choreography
In an interview with vanity fairThe Irish actor detailed how he believed his love of Gaelic football helped him land the lead role in the Hollywood blockbuster.
Detailing his 30-minute Zoom introduction, Paul explained how he spent a considerable amount of time talking to Director Ridley about the sport he played as a child.
He said: “Maybe that was something that helped as I’m used to being physical in my body.”
Although Paul was not asked to do a screen test, he was asked to pull his weight before filming, which took place in and around Morocco and the United Kingdom.
The actor said he didn’t just want to become a “Hollywood heartthrob” and initially feared he would end up looking “more like an underwear model than a warrior.”
As such, his training “focused on fight choreography” to build a gladiator-like physique, rather than sculpting him into a sex symbol.”
Paul added: “I just wanted to be big and strong and look like someone who can cause a bit of damage when shit hits the fan.”
The actor said he didn’t just want to become a ‘Hollywood heartthrob’ and initially feared he would end up looking ‘more like an underwear model than a warrior.’
Weight lifting and resistance training.
Earlier this year, footage of Paul’s Gladiator training was widely circulated on tiktok and showed the actor doing dumbbell shoulder raises for a solid 23 seconds.
talking to GQPersonal trainer Robert Utley explained that weight training like this involves “progressively overloading the muscle to force it to adapt, grow and get stronger.”
He added: “You can do this by adding extra reps each week or changing the pace to add more time under tension.”
The expert suspected that Paul may have incorporated “push and pull” sessions into his “fight training” workouts.
He added, “A push would be pushing the weight away from the body (think chest press) and a pull would be pushing the weight toward the body (think lat pulldown).”
Earlier this year, footage of Mescal’s Gladiator workout circulated widely on TikTok and showed the actor doing dumbbell shoulder raises for a solid 23 seconds.
Personal training sessions and ‘eat all I wanted’
In an interview with FM CapitalPaul praised his “great trainer” for helping him develop his physique for the film, as well as a team of nutritionists, who told him when and what to eat.
Sending a message to fans who admired his new build, Paul added: “I had the best coach in the world, a studio and a production that supported me throughout the process (…)
“You have to make the audience believe that this is someone who would survive the intense violence throughout the film.
“And you’re not going to survive that as someone running around Hackney.”
Meanwhile, the star also said Entertainment tonight that his workouts with trainer Tim Blakeley involved a lot of squats and “heavy lifting.”
Appearing on Pandora Christie’s Heart Evening show on Wednesday, Paul also explained how he was encouraged to eat whatever he wanted.
He explained: ‘It was a lot of lifting heavy things and running around the place. But I literally had everything I could have ever wanted.
Burgers, fries and everything!
Instead of becoming the typical “Hollywood heartthrob,” Mescal (pictured) said he trained hard to achieve the right physique and skills.
Temporarily stop running
During filming, the star also claims he was told to stop running in the months leading up to filming, as his team’s goal was to build muscle.
He said during a video interview with ET: ‘The closer we got to filming, they allowed me to run again!’
Paul is known to be an active person and has been photographed running around London countless times over the past four years.
In addition to this, the star previously revealed that he also loves going for walks and is a great boxer.
In February 2021, the actor celebrated his 25th birthday by being repeatedly beaten by friends at his Australian boxing club.
Appearing in the YouTube Show Chicken Shop Date In February, Paul said: ‘I love walking, a good long walk is romantic for me. Simple pleasures, I am a simple man.’
Elsewhere in the Vanity Fair interview, Paul’s co-star Pedro Pascal agreed that his fellow actor’s training had yielded notable results.
Pascal, who plays Marcus Acacius, says he had a special nickname for his co-star.
He said: ‘I call him Brick Wall Paul. He became so strong. I’d rather be thrown off a building than have to fight him again.
During filming, the star also claims he was told to stop running in the months leading up to filming as his team’s goal was to build muscle (pictured in 2020).
He added that Paul’s strength contributed to making his fight sequences “challenging” to act and film.
Another of Paul’s co-stars, Joseph Quinn, also commented on the actor’s physical transformation.
talking to Men’s healthJoseph described Paul as a “unity.”
Praising Paul’s dedication to the role, Joseph added that the actor “has definitely committed a lot to the physicality of his character.”
Gladiator II is now in theaters.