Paul Mescal is already quite a famous fellow but he's got a contingency plan in place should his role in the soon-to-be-released movie Gladiator 2 mean he can scarcely walk down a street without being recognised.
Yes, it's not very long at all now before the sequel to the epic movie set in Roman times will hit cinema screens and if it's anything near as popular as the first one then the Irish actor is going to be getting quite a lot of attention.
Gladiator 2 has Mescal as Lucius Verus, the kid from the first movie, who ends up becoming a gladiator himself and having to fight for the amusement of the people of Rome.
The trailers for the movie have been picked at by some historians for inaccuracies, although of course director Ridley Scott's stance on historians pointing out the inaccurate parts of his movies is to ask them how they'd know if they weren't there.
Still, you're not here for spot on historical accuracy, you're going to be getting your ticket for Gladiator 2 to see Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal have a big sweaty fight in the Colosseum.
Lucius Verus all grown up and ready to have some fights in the Colosseum. (Paramount Pictures)
As for all the fame that may very well come with appearing in a potential blockbuster, Mescal has a cunning plan to defuse that should the movie make him 'too famous'.
Chatting with The Times ahead of the release of Gladiator 2, the actor said he wasn't sure how much the movie would change his life but that he'd 'get profoundly depressed' if the only real difference was him constantly being stopped on the street.
He said: "I don’t know what the difference will be.
"Maybe that’s naïve? Is it just that more people will stop you in the street? I’d get profoundly depressed if that’s so.
"If the film impacts my life in that way I’ll be in a bad spot, I’d have to move on and do an obtuse play nobody wants to see."
He's hoping that Gladiator 2 doesn't make him 'too famous'. (Paramount Pictures)
One would hope that the success of the movie would change his life in more positive ways, perhaps opening up more opportunities for him and letting him choose some interesting projects.
On the other hand, even if he tries to 'do an obtuse play nobody wants to see' it's possible people might show up, an informal canvassing of opinion at LADbible Towers indicated that a number of people who didn't watch the first Gladiator and don't think about the Roman Empire on a daily basis are planning to see the sequel just because Mescal is in it.
Gladiator 2 stars Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal recently sat down with LADbible and put their knowledge of each other to the test ahead of the movie's release.
Check it out:
It turns out that Mescal is quite a competitive chap, as he pointed out he hasn't actually lost one of our challenges yet, so he ended up winning out.
However, he took home the greatest prize of all in the form of his co-star Pascal's love, something anyone would be lucky to have.
Gladiator 2 releases in cinemas in the UK on 15 November.
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