Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington Hail Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator 2’ in Tokyo: ‘There’s No Better Director for Focusing on an Audience’s Sense of Entertainment’
variety.comMark Schilling Japan Correspondent A quartet of stars, headed by Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington, were on hand Monday in Tokyo to celebrate “Gladiator II” and its master filmmaker Ridley Scott.
Mescal, who plays the gladiator Lucius, said that what separates “Gladiator II” from “Gladiator” is that Scott, who also directed the original 2000 film, “had more resources at his disposal and put them to great use.” “There’s no better director for focusing on an audience’s sense of entertainment than Ridley Scott,” he said.
That sense of crowd-pleasing occasion has clearly been on the minds of the Tokyo festival programmers and Japanese distributors.
The Tokyo International Film Festival labeled “Gladiator II” as a centerpiece screening and explained that this is the first time that a major Hollywood film has ever played in this fashion mid-way through the event.
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