Joaquin Phoenix portrayed Commodus as an evil emperor in Gladiator, the classic historical epic film by director Ridley Scott. With Gladiator II, there are 2 evil emperors: Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) as Emperor Geta and Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus) as Emperor Caracalla.

Death and blood are common themes in the Gladiator films, and Emperor Caracalla is someone who welcomes them.

“Well, Caracalla delights in bloodshed, so in some ways, he’s the opposite of squeamish,” Hechinger tells Nerd Reactor. “Yeah? Me, I don’t know. I can’t speak for in this case.”

Also starring in the film is Denzel Washington as Macrinus, who is similar to Proximo from the first film in terms of bringing in slaves and training them to become gladiators.

“It’s just a blessing. Like every day was such a pleasure to act with them,” Hechinger said of Quinn and Washington. “I think when you work with people that are as magnificent and in the moment as they are, it means that every scene, even when you know it really well, becomes surprising in its own right. All these discoveries pop up. So it was a great pleasure.”

Ancient Rome was brought to life by Ridley’s direction and the film crew, and it made the actor forget that he was in a movie.

“Ridley always says, he goes, ‘I’m gonna give you the best off-camera action you’ve ever seen, because no matter where the camera is, you’re watching these battles over and over, and they’re incredible,'” Hechinger explained. “I mean, the stunt team on this is magnificent. Their work is really major. And it actually takes your breath away. Also, Rome is all around you. You know, you have full crowds screaming at the top of their lungs, and you forget that you’re making a movie. You really do.”

About Gladiator II

Synopsis: From legendary director Ridley Scott, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.

The film is directed by Ridley Scott and written by David Scarpa from a story be Peter Craig and Scarpa. It stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, with Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington.

Gladiator II releases in theaters on November 22, 2024.