Sir Ridley Scott’s eagerly awaited cinematic spectacle has finally arrived, bringing with it a dazzling array of talent.
Heading the line-up in Gladiator II are Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Joseph Quinn, transporting audiences once again to the grandeur of the Roman Colosseum. This sequel, emerging years after the iconic 2000 original, introduces viewers to a fresh hero.
The film’s official summary states: “After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.”
Mescal takes the spotlight as Lucius, with Quinn portraying the malevolent Emperor Geta. But what is there to know about the Stranger Things star off-screen and is he dating anyone?
Early life and career
Quinn was born in 1994 in Clapham and honed his acting skills at a private school in Battersea through a drama scholarship. Now aged 30, he began his acting journey early on and polished his talents at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, completing his studies there in 2015, reports the Mirror.
Prior to making his mark in Stranger Things in 2022, Quinn accumulated roles across various television series, and most notably appeared in the BBC’s historical series Dickensian, where he stepped into the shoes of Arthur Havisham from the emblematic Great Expectations.
His breakthrough as Eddie Munson in the fourth season of Stranger Things was transformative for his career, yet Quinn reveals that landing the role came with an unexpectedly straightforward audition process.
In a 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he shared his astonishment at landing a role through self-tapes.
“I sent two tapes from my home in London to America and the Duffer brothers [creators of the series] watched both, and then after that, they gave me the job, which is mental! That never happens. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sent tapes to America and no one answered, so it was kind of a crazy thing.”
Quinn’s acting portfolio includes minor parts in ‘Game of Thrones’, ITV’s ‘Timewasters’, and a television version of ‘Les Miserables’. His latest gig saw him starring alongside Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o in ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’.
Doja Cat romance
It’s rumoured that Quinn is romantically linked to rapper Doja Cat, whose real name is Amala Dlamini. The duo were seen hand-in-hand in London this August, leading fans to believe they’re an item.
While neither has officially confirmed their relationship, Doja Cat’s interest in the actor has been out in the open since 2022.
Post-Quinn’s ‘Stranger Things’ appearance, Doja Cat reached out to his co-star Noah Schnapp via Instagram, saying: “Noah can you tell Joseph to hmu [hit me up]. Wait no. Does he have a gf?”. She even inquired about Quinn’s Instagram handle, following Schnapp’s suggestion to “slide into his DMs.”
Schnapp went on to post screenshots of their private chat on his TikTok, only to remove them later when Doja Cat indicated her discomfort with the public share, sparking a very public spat between them. Two years after the incident, it seems that Quinn and the songwriter are indeed in a relationship.
Quinn is now preparing to portray the comic book character Johnny Storm, also known as the Human Torch, in Marvel’s forthcoming reboot of Fantastic Four.
Gladiator II is out now in cinemas