‘Gladiator 2’ actor Fred Hechinger plays down gay kiss storm: “They would have kept it in the movie”
Gladiator 2 actor Fred Hechinger has played down the same-sex kiss storm surrounding the movie.Denzel Washington, who portrays Macrinus in the sequel to the 2000 blockbuster, recently told Gayety, he kissed a male co-star in a since-deleted moment.But director Ridley Scott said that was “bullshit” and “they acted the moment – it didn’t happen”.Washington has also since rolled back his comments, later saying: “It really is much ado about nothing.
They’re making more of it than it was. I kissed him on his hands, I gave him a peck and I killed him.”But Hechinger, who plays Emperor Caracalla alongside his onscreen twin Joseph Quinn as Emperor Geta, played it down further saying if it did happen, it wasn’t with either of the dual emperors.“If I had a peck with him, they would have kept it in the movie,” Hechinger told IndieWire.Elsewhere a cinematographer on Gladiator 2 recently said Ridley Scott has become “lazy” and “rushes” to get things done.He went on to claim that the director had “changed” and was now “quite impatient” on set, which he felt had a detrimental effect on the finished production.
Scott’s last two films, Gladiator 2 and Napoleon have both received mixed reviews from critics.The film was awarded three stars from NME: “If you loved Gladiator, it’s odds-on you’ll enjoy this too.
It’s got all of the same exciting bits – swordfighting, rousing speeches, nasty poshos getting what they deserve,” Alex Flood wrote.“The problem is that’s all it gives you.
