Denzel Washington says he had a same-sex kiss in Ridley Scott’s hotly anticipated “Gladiator” sequel, but it won’t see the light of day.
The two-time Oscar winner, 69, recently told LGBTQ+ outlet Gayety about the kiss, which didn’t make the final cut in “Gladiator II,” which opens next week.
“I actually kissed a man in the film, but they … cut it. I think they got chicken,” said Washington. “I kissed a guy full on the lips, but I guess they weren’t ready for that yet. … I killed him about five minutes later. … It’s ‘Gladiator.’ The kiss of death.”
The outlet said Washington’s “Gladiator II” character, Macrinus, references having had multiple same-sex relationships.
Late last month, Paul Mescal, who plays Lucius, revealed that he improvised a forehead kiss with co-star Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acacius.
“There was a moment when we were rehearsing my fight scene with Pedro, and I had an idea towards the end of the scene to kiss Pedro on the forehead,” the “Normal People” star, 28, told Entertainment Weekly. “I did it in one of the takes, and then we’re getting the radio messages back to Ridley [in video village], and I was like, ‘Ridley: Kiss on the forehead, did you like it? Yay or nay? There was radio silence for a second. His radio crackles back, and [Ridley] goes, ‘I’m afraid I did.’”
Even so, four-time Oscar nominee Scott reportedly scrapped the kiss in the sequel to his Best Picture-nominated predecessor.
Beloved by audiences and critics alike, the original “Gladiator,” which starred Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Nielsen, took home five Oscars.
Nearly 25 years after its May 2000 release, “Gladiator II” — in which Nielsen will reprise her role as Lucilla — will hit theaters Nov. 22.