'Gladiator II's Paul Mescal Calls BS on Actors Claiming Intense Gym Regimens for Roles: 'I Worked Out 45 Minutes a Day'
While some actors claim they dedicated their lives to rigorous workouts and confining diets in order to assume major roles, Gladiator II star Paul Mescal is calling BS on the sentiment.
Speaking to how strict his own fitness regime was while preparing for the Ridley Scott-directed role, the 28-year-old told BBC he kept his gym stints relatively short.
"This is the thing, I don't generally believe when actors say they're in the gym for three hours and eating 9,000 calories. I was lucky that I had a background in sports before we started this. My body — it wasn't, like, going into totally new territory. I'm not saying that 45 minutes was easy, I was just lucky that's genetically or something what was required."
@bbc “I don’t believe when actors say they’re in the gym for three hours…” Paul Mescal has said he trained for 45 minutes a day in preparation for Gladiator II. @bbcnews #PaulMescal #GladiatorII #Gym #Training
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The testament may have been subtle shade to actors like Hugh Jackson and Ryan Reynolds, who have all spoken about spending hours at the gym while eating nothing but protein in order to prepare for physically demanding roles.
Chris Pratt shared his own Guardians of the Galaxy transformation via Instagram, attesting to a mixture of P90X, running, kickboxing, a triathlon and what he described as "three or four hours a day of just consistent, butt-kicking hard work" in order to prepare.
Nevertheless, Mescal apparently has his genes and athletic lifestyle to thank for not needing to sacrifice so much for his upcoming role. The Irish actor was once a minor and under-21 Gaelic football player for Kildare and a member of the Maynooth GAA club.
Read more: Paul Mescal Lookalike Competition in Dublin Crowns an Impressive Winner -- Short Shorts and All
Gaelic footballer Brian Lacey publicly praised Mescal's skills as a defender,[while physical trainer Cian O'Neill noted him to be "mature beyond his years. Very developed and very strong." Mescal ultimately gave up the sport after a jaw injury, leading him to instead pursue a career in the arts.
It seems the career pivot has paid off, having so far earned a BAFTA TV Award and a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. His performance in Gladiator II is already receiving praise from critics, due out in theaters Nov 22nd.
