Paul Mescal on meeting King Charles at ‘Gladiator II’ premiere: ‘It’s not on the list of priorities’

Paul Mescal admitted meeting King Charles III at the 'Gladiator II' premiere wasn’t on his priority list but acknowledged its significance for director Ridley Scott. The Irish actor shared his experience during a conversation with Variety on November 18.

Mescal, 28, commented on the unexpected encounter, saying, “Never met the king [before that night]. It’s definitely not something that I thought was in the bingo cards. I’m, like, Irish, so it’s not kind of on the list of priorities. But it’s an amazing thing for Ridley because I know how important that is for him.”

The meeting occurred at the Odeon Lux theater in London’s Leicester Square on November 13, where Mescal and his co-stars Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington joined Scott in a receiving line to greet the British monarch. “I found it kind of hard to hear exactly what [Charles] was saying … so you’re just kind of nodding along and, just, smiling,” Mescal told Variety.

Charles, who turned 76 the following day, attended the premiere amidst reports of his cancer diagnosis.

Mescal stars in 'Gladiator II,' releasing November 22, as Lucius Verus, the son of Maximus, played by Russell Crowe in the original film. Set two decades after the first installment, the sequel follows Lucius’ journey into slavery and eventual rise as a gladiator.

On The Graham Norton Show last month, Mescal revealed he landed the role after a brief 30-minute Zoom call with Scott. “Ridley does not waste time,” he said, noting the discussion included topics like Gaelic football, Scott’s dog, and his wife.

While training for the role, Mescal maintained his love for smoking and drinking, stating, “I did everything [Scott] asked but I like to drink, and I like to smoke, so I drew a line in the sand.”