How does Gladiator 2 turn Denzel Washington into a villain? trendy blogger

Spoiler alert: This story discusses major plot points, including the ending.The second wrestler“, which is currently showing in theaters.

All hail Macrinus!

In a world full of political contestation, power and ambition, Denzel Washington’s Macrinus enters the arena in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” with troops and guards under a canopy. It reeks of wealth and exudes power. The role has been a favorite among fans and critics, and is garnering Washington some serious Oscar buzz.

The sequel to “Scott” takes place 16 years after the end of the original “Gladiator.” It tells the story of Lucius (Paul Mescal), whose city was attacked by Roman soldiers. The invasion led to tragedy as Lucius’ wife was killed and he was captured as a prisoner.

Enter Macrinus, a wealthy merchant who discovered Lucius and bought him for himself. But the masses were not entirely sure of Macrinus and his motives at first. He’s clearly a power player in all of this, but whether his intentions are good or bad isn’t immediately clear. Scott and his team of collaborators told Macrinus’ story by planting clues to his true nature.

Scott explains the idea behind Macrinus’ past. Washington’s character was a prisoner of war, taken to Rome and made into the fodder of the arena. Still, Scott says, “He worked his way up as a good wrestler.” The idea was that he eventually gained his freedom “perhaps by obtaining employment as a supplier to Rome’s armies.”

Macrinus rides under the canopy, and cinematographer John Matheson says: “He’s great looking. He’s very flamboyant, cheerful, dressed up, and obviously not from Rome, but he’s done a very good job. He’s very mischievous and treacherous, and you feel it. He’s polite.” “And incredibly kind, even to those who owe him money.”

Composer Harry Gregson-Williams, who replaced Hans Zimmer to score the film’s music, echoed this through his score: “We know we’re kind of drawn to him because he’s got a great character, but he’s a slippery character.” When it came to Macrinus’ musical theme, he relied on the electric baritone violin and electric cello to hint at his identity. “I created this slippery shape that slides around.”

Thematically, Macrinus’ material was “very frightening and develops into something much bolder” to reflect his scheming and ambitious ways as he navigated his way through the halls of power in Rome.

Production designer Arthur Max, who worked on the first “Gladiator” film, knew Macrinus would need a visual concept. In his meetings with his fellow department heads, Macrinus was greatly inspired by art – in particular Jean-Léon Gérôme – his 1872 painting Police Verso and other works by the artist.

“He comes from the pagan, polytheistic world of ancient Rome, which he’s a part of, and they adopted gods from the animal world,” says Max. “We decided to give him two forms and distribute them throughout his world; one was the wolf and the other was the serpent.”

Double serpent motifs can be seen on the flags carried by his troops, and wolf heads can be seen around the bend of his chariot – all of which indicate the true nature of this man.

Wealth was also reflected in Washington’s costumes, where rich fabrics were draped over a total of 15 jackets for each costume change. He collaborated closely with fashion designer Janty Yates to build his looks. At some point, there was an idea to put it on the headdress, but since Scott and Washington liked the idea, it was quickly rejected. “But Denzel wore earrings, which is great because it gives him a little weird vibe,” Yates says. It was great. They were clip earrings because Washington did not have pierced ears.

When Macrinus is in the suburban amphitheater with the baboons, his clothes are subtle and imposing. Once he goes to Rome, he sits in the royal box next to the emperors. Yeats used original hand-embroidered curtains. One special garment is the green jeweled drape. “It was bought in Milan from a man who imported ancient Indian fabrics and embroideries,” Yates says. He was also wearing a bit of leopard print.

Scott says Washington embraced his silks, and it was his idea to modify his fabrics. “He chose to do it. This is Denzel. He’s very innovative. I thought that was really funny.”

But it also spoke to his character. Makeup artist Jana Carbone didn’t want to get in the way of Washington’s performance. “We decided to go for something simple and straightforward,” she says. “So the idea was to make it look very dressed up and, in a way, frivolous. It wasn’t too loud because it needed to be chameleon-like and fit into every space. We also kept it simple because it was He would play with his jewelry. The only adjustment made was to his hair. “I told him, ‘It would be nice if we could bring out the silvery gray in your hair,’ and he loved the idea.”

While Mescal’s Lucius hopes for a better Rome and fights for it, Macrinus has other plans: a bloodthirsty quest for revenge. The twin emperors, played by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, stand in his way.

“He’s a very sinister, mercurial character,” says cinematographer John Matheson.

Macrinus had always coveted the throne, Scott says, but the more time he spent around the emperors “the throne became, eventually, very practical. His plan might have been: I’ll wait until one of the twins dies, and I can’t do anything else because otherwise It would be so obvious, but then things start to present themselves to him as a possibility.

Matheson was keen to catch Macrinus, even when he was lurking in the shadows. “I always put a ray of light in his eyes, those eyes that pass through you. I made sure I caught it.”

When the twins fall, Scott says Macrinus found a window and grabbed it. “I can get rid of one of these.”

Yeats dressed him in white silk jacquard with gold trim. “I wanted to keep it very elegant, but simple.” “He’s gotten to the point where he’s very close to the emperors, and we wanted him to look kind of innocent,” she explains.

However, the irony was that he was not like that, so he took advantage of that moment and beheaded someone. Yes, Macrinus is the real villain of the movie, but it is up to Lucius to restore order and power to Rome and defeat him.

In his final scene, Yeats dresses Macrinus in a majestic blue peacock-shaped jacket. Macrinus and Lucius face each other in an epic battle in the river built by Max and his team. It doesn’t end well for Macrinus. Lucius cuts his arm with a sword, and one final swing finishes him off.

“I think he earned the right to die that way,” Scott says. 100 percent. What a bad man. He still had a little bit of a wrestler in him, and he was a good fighter. You see, this shows in Paul’s character, he fights dirty.

Scott likens the final battle to an alley fight – the dirty fight. That’s what Lucius had to do. “Someone had to die.”