Mumbai, Nov 14 (IANS): 'American Gangster' actor Denzel Washington, who will be seen playing a negative character in 'Gladiator II', says he has been preparing for his role for fifty years.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, Denzil discussed his character, experience with co-actors, and more. When asked specifically about preparing for his character Macrinus, Denzel Washington replied, 'I'll be seventy in December. I played Othello at twenty two and Emperor Jones at twenty. So, I've been preparing for this role for fifty years.’

Denzil Washington also praised Paul Mescal for his craft. He stated “There was a tremendous amount of pressure for him coming behind Russel. I can say that I know something about acting and I can tell you he delivers.”

Paul Mescal plays Lucius, the former heir to the Roman Empire and son of Maximus. He lives with his wife in a coastal town in Numidia and has no connection with his mother for fifteen years. He is taken prisoner by the Roman army and is forced to fight as Gladiator.

Earlier Ridley Scott the director and co-producer of the film opened up about how he zeroed down on actor Paul Mescal for the lead role.

The director stated that he first noticed Paul Mescal in the acclaimed Anglo-Irish series ‘Normal People’. The director further added “He reminded me of Richard Harris crossed with a very young Albert Finney. He seemed to be a very young and sympathetic actor. As the story in the script started to evolve I kept thinking about him.”

'Gladiator II' is a sequel to ‘Gladiator’ which was released in the year 2000. It has been directed and co-produced by Ridley Scott. The film is set to release on November 15th.