Ridley Scott firmly shut down Denzel Washington’s claims of filming a same-sex kiss in “Gladiator II” sparking extra controversy.
Ridley Scott has firmly rejected Denzel Washington’s assertion {that a} same-sex kiss was initially filmed for “Gladiator II” however later eliminated, dismissing the concept as false throughout a Monday premiere in Los Angeles.
In an interview, Washington made waves when he claimed to have filmed a scene for Scott’s upcoming historic epic the place his character kissed one other male character “full on the lips” earlier than that second was allegedly lower.
When requested concerning the assertion throughout the star-studded purple carpet occasion, Scott didn’t mince phrases.
“No, that’s b#######,” the British filmmaker informed reporters from Selection. “They by no means did. They acted the second—it didn’t occur.”
Responding later that very same night to the eye his feedback had gained, Washington softened his earlier remarks, clarifying that the kiss had been extra of a quick gesture than something substantial.
“It actually is far ado about nothing,” Washington stated. “They’re making extra of it than it was. I kissed him on his palms, I gave him a peck, and I killed him.”
Washington had earlier stirred the dialog throughout an interview with LGBTQ+ publication Gayety, the place he disclosed a same-sex kiss involving his character Macrinus, who Washington described as being drawn to each women and men.
He claimed the scene was in the end lower—maybe, he theorized, as a result of filmmakers’ hesitance on the matter.
“I truly kissed a person within the movie, however they took it out,” Washington informed Gayety. “I kissed a man full on the lips and I assume they weren’t prepared for that but. I killed him 5 minutes later. It’s Gladiator. It’s the kiss of dying.”
Washington’s remarks generated additional dialogue on the modifying decisions made in “Gladiator II,” however Scott remained resolute, whereas others tied to the manufacturing additionally downplayed the scenario.
Actress Connie Nielsen, who additionally stars within the movie, addressed these claims throughout the Governors Awards in Los Angeles, suggesting that varied scenes—hers included—didn’t make the ultimate lower merely on account of time constraints.
“My grieving scene didn’t make it into the movie both,” Nielsen defined. “It’s not homophobia. It’s simply there was no room for it.”
Producer Michael Pruss echoed this sentiment. “There was a lot stuff that was shot that didn’t make it into the movie. It was actually a non-event.”
“Gladiator II,” that includes Paul Mescal in a lead function, has already launched within the UK and is about to reach in U.S. theaters Friday.
