Denzel Washington spoke Entertainment Weekly about preparing for her larger-than-life role Gladiator IIBut the type of preparation the Oscar-winning actor undertook was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.
Washington is unfamiliar with action movies, so the complex battle scenes didn't give him pause. But period-appropriate costumes were a different story. Malcolm X Star has done many things on the big screen, but she has never been given the task of wearing a dress. “[I didn’t have] “I had a lot of combat training,” Washington said, “but I had to learn to hold my glass and lift my skirt when I was going over things. I had to learn to walk around in a dress. “I had to learn to walk in sandals,” he explained.
When asked if wearing clothes gave him a greater appreciation for the people of Ancient Rome, Washington replied: “It makes me appreciate wearing a dress, period. I tripped a few times in the beginning, but I became one with my friends and peers,” he joked.
Gladiator II is a slightly different film for Washington in terms of genre, but the idea of working with director Ridley Scott instantly appealed to him. Washington worked with Ridley's late brother Tony Scott on five films. Gladiator II Marks Washington's second collaboration with Ridley American Gangster (2007).
Washington has high hopes Gladiator IIHe says it is the “largest” production he has ever worked on in terms of scale. “Big, brutal, violent, fun and escapist,” he said of the film. “It's a nice day at the movies.”
Gladiator II In theaters on November 22. You can watch the trailer below.
