Denzel Washington says ‘Gladiator II’ cut his ‘full on’ gay ‘kiss of death’: ‘I think they got chicken’
“Gladiator II” did not make the final cut. Washington, 69, plays Macrinus, a wealthy power player in Rome who owns a troop of gladiators, in Ridley Scott’s sequel to his 2000 sword-and-sandal epic. The character reportedly mentions having had relationships with other men in the past, a plot point that led LGBTQ news outlet Gayety to query further when interviewing Washington ahead of the film’s premiere on Wednesday.When asked, “How gay is the Roman empire?” Washington responded with the reveal about his same-sex kiss.