Paul Mescal is headlining Ridley Scott’s historical epic Gladiator II, which has a stacked cast. Actors such as Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, and Connie Nielson also appear in the film along with Mescal. The film recently had its London premiere, which was reportedly attended by King Charles III.
Though courteous, Mescal later mentioned how meeting the King was not on his list of priorities as an Irish national. The actor seemed to have a similar courteous yet dissenting reaction to meeting a member of the British Royal Family as his fellow Irish actor Cillian Murphy, who had met Prince Harry back in 2017.
Paul Mescal Reacts To Meeting King Charles III At The Gladiator II Premiere
Paul Mescal had huge shoes to fill as he replaced Russell Crowe as the lead of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel. Playing the son of Crowe’s Maximus Decimus Meridius, Mescal received rave reviews for his performance along with co-star Denzel Washington. The film is set to open in the USA on November 22.
Gladiator II reportedly had its London premiere on November 13, with many stars present. Apart from Mescal Ridley Scott, Washington, and the rest of the cast of the film, the premiere reportedly also saw Andrew Scott as well as King Charles. The monarch was reportedly celebrating his 76th birthday and attended the premiere as part of the celebrations.
After the meeting, when Paul Mescal was asked about meeting the King by Variety, the Irish national seemed to be not as ecstatic. He said,
It’s definitely not something that was on my bingo cards. I’m, like, Irish – so it’s not kind of on the list of priorities…I know how important that is for [Ridley Scott]. So, to see his film celebrated in that context was pretty special.
While the reporter seemed to prod him to say something more about the meeting, Mescal took a diplomatic approach and just mentioned that he could not hear what the King was saying due to the chaos of the event.
Fellow Irish Star Cillian Murphy’s Reaction To Meeting Prince Harry Is The Stuff Of Legends
The reporter at Gladiator II’s premiere may not have been that sensitive to Irish actor Paul Mescal’s general disdain for the British royal family due to the tarnished history between the two nations. Nonetheless, Mescal seemed to be courteous while meeting King Charles and diplomatic during the interview, without expressing any kind of faux enthusiasm.
However, his fellow Irish star and recent Oscar winner Cillian Murphy seemed to not hide his true feelings for the British royals when he met Prince Harry back in 2017. The Prince reportedly met the cast and crew of Dunkirk at the premiere of the film in London and Murphy, though courteous while greeting the royal seemed to give him a death stare later.
Fans at the time were appreciative of Murphy for his reaction, with many comments pointing out the ‘Thomas Shelby stare’.
Cillian holding back his ancestral spirit from making him jump the English Prince right there
-@CrazzedKor
I love Cillian’s reaction. He looks like he doesn’t care for Prince Harry.
-@lc11214
Cillian Murphy activating Thomas Shelby mode is EVERYTHING!
-@supernova7848
I know you’re here too because you came to see the way Cillian looks at the prince
-@yunapark2974
that menacing look, and courage to visually frighten a prince, Cillian has my total respect
-@RxrRraii
Fellow Irish star Barry Keoghan was also present at the event and courteously shook the hands of Prince Harry and seemed to have a conversation.
