Paul Mescal couldn’t get over the epic scale of Ridley Scott’s Rome set while shooting Gladiator II.

After finding fame with the TV show Normal People and independent films like Aftersun and The Lost Daughter, Gladiator II marked Mescal’s first time working on a big-budget blockbuster.

The Irish actor was in complete awe when he stepped onto the set in Malta and found himself in Ancient Rome, complete with a partial recreation of the Colosseum.

Reflecting on the set, Mescal said on The Graham Norton Show on Friday, “The scale of the movie is so hard to fathom. It was insane and incredible. It was a mammoth of a film. It was so exciting, and I had to remind myself these roles don’t come along every day.”

Mescal was cast as the lead character Lucius, the son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus from the 2000 original, after a short and informal Zoom call with director Scott.

“Ridley does not waste time – I thought there would be camera tests and auditions, but we Zoomed for half an hour, spoke for 10 mins about the part and then 20 minutes about Gaelic football, his dog, and his wife,” Mescal recalled. “I thought there would be more, but he called a few weeks later to offer me the part. I think he just goes by instinct on set and off and I’m very glad that’s the way it went.”

After landing the part, the 28-year-old began a workout regimen to bulk up and sculpt a gladiator’s physique.

The All of Us Strangers star revealed he saw a trainer every day, ate a chicken-heavy diet and “lifted heavy things” – however, he refused to cut out two of his vices.

“I was working with a trainer who circled me like a shark and said, ‘There is a canvas to work with.’ He went to town, and I saw him every day. It was fun,” he remembered. “I did everything he asked but I like to drink, and I like to smoke so I drew a line in the sand where those were concerned.”

Gladiator II will be released in cinemas from 15 October.

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