“Gladiator II” nearly had it all: epic battle scenes, heavy doses of nostalgia, emotional monologues and even an unexpected gay kiss — until filmmakers cut the latter.
Denzel Washington revealed in an interview with Gayety that his kissing scene with another male actor was not included in the final edit of the movie, which hits theaters on Nov. 22.
“I actually kissed the man in the film, but they took it, they cut it. I think they got chicken,” Washington, who plays a presumed bisexual Roman businessman, told the outlet.
“I kissed a guy full on the lips, and I guess they weren’t ready for that yet,” he surmised.
However, the Oscar winner, 69, noted that it was not necessarily a romantic moment for the power-hungry arms dealer.
“I killed him about five minutes later,” he said with a laugh. “It’s ‘Gladiator.’ It’s the kiss of death.”
It turns out, that wasn’t the only kiss cut from the final product.
Paul Mescal, who plays protagonist Lucius, told Entertainment Weekly he took a bit of creative liberty while filming a fight scene alongside Pedro Pascal, who plays Roman general Acacius.
“There was a moment when we were rehearsing my fight scene with Pedro, and I had an idea toward the end of the scene to kiss Pedro on the forehead,” Mescal, 28, recalled earlier this month.
Knowing director Ridley Scott might not be on board with the idea, the “Normal People” star decided to try it without asking him beforehand.
“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?’” Mescal recalled.
“There was radio silence for a second. His radio crackles back, and [Ridley] goes, ‘I’m afraid I did.’”
Although Ridley did not mind the subtle intimacy, the take ultimately ended up on the cutting room floor.
“Gladiator II” is a sequel to the original 2000 blockbuster, which starred Russell Crowe and was nominated for a whopping 12 Academy Awards.
Washington has already garnered Oscar buzz for best supporting actor; however, he revealed on Australia’s “Today” show that he did not feel any “pressure” taking on such a big project.
“For me, it’s about the filmmaker, especially at this point in my career,” he said.
“I’m only interested in working with the best. I don’t know how many more films I’m gonna make — probably not that many. I want to do things I haven’t done.”
Washington said he already has his next six projects in mind, and “after that [he] is going to retire.”