Denzel Washington is revealing that a same-sex kiss was cut from Gladiator II.
In a new interview, Washington, who plays Macrinus in the Ridley Scott film, was asked, “How gay is the Roman empire?”
“I actually kissed a man in the film but they took it out, they cut it, I think they got chicken,” Washington told Gayety in an interview. “I kissed a guy full on the lips and I guess they weren’t ready for that yet. I killed him about five minutes later. It’s Gladiator. It’s the kiss of death.”
Washington reunites with Scott in the Gladiator sequel after having worked in 2007 film American Gangster. The actor said that he is looking at retirement soon.
“There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in, and I have to be inspired by the filmmaker, and I was tremendously inspired by Ridley,” Washington told Empire. “We had a great go-round the first go-round [on American Gangster], and here we are.”
Washington’s same-sex kiss was not the only kiss of its kind that was cut. Paul Mescal that a kiss between his character and Pedro Pascal’s character was also cut.
“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,” Mescal told Entertainment Weekly. “I did it in one of the takes, and then we’re getting the radio messages back to Ridley (Scott, the film’s director) 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 goes ‘I’m afraid I did.’”
Watch Washington’s full interview in the video below.