Ridley Scott shuts down Denzel Washington's kiss claims
Director Ridley Scott has firmly denied Denzel Washington's claims that a gay kiss scene involving the actor was cut from the film "Gladiator II."
8:37 AM EST, November 19, 2024
In an interview promoting the long-awaited sequel to "Gladiator," Denzel Washington stated that in one scene he kissed a man, but the scene was removed from the film. "I actually kissed a man in the movie, but they cut it out. I think they chickened out," he told Gayety.
After causing a stir with his comments, Washington softened his earlier statement by clarifying that there was no kiss in the cut scene, only a peck. "Much ado about nothing," the actor told "Variety" magazine. "They're making more out of it than it was. I kissed his hands, gave him a peck, and then killed him."
The director of "Gladiator 2" presented a different version of events
In a recent interview, the director of "Gladiator 2" addressed the issue. Ridley Scott denied that such a kiss ever took place. A "Variety" journalist brought it up with Scott: "Denzel said he kissed a man on the lips, but it didn't make it into the final cut of the film." The director firmly denied it: "No, that's nonsense."
Another situation involving an improvised kiss occurred on the set of "Gladiator II." Paul Mescal revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that during a fight scene rehearsal with Pedro Pascal, he suggested kissing him on the forehead.
