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Paul Mescal<\/strong> is the first to admit that it\u2019s highly stressful when any film he\u2019s worked on finally screens for audiences. But when Gladiator II<\/a>,<\/em> the sequel to Ridley Scott<\/strong>\u2019s beloved 2000 film, finally opens, it\u2019ll be a much more intense level of stress. \u201cThis one is kind of exacerbated by the fact that there\u2019s been a 24-year lead-in period to this story being told,\u201d the actor tells Little Gold Men.<\/em> \u201cTo be an ambassador for that legacy, you\u2019re trying to dial down the impostor syndrome at a rate of knots.\u201d<\/p>\n Mescal, known for breaking out in the Hulu series Normal People<\/em> and his Oscar-nominated work in Aftersun,<\/em> opens a new chapter with Gladiator II,<\/em> taking on his first blockbuster role after a string of indies. Considered one of the most exciting rising talents in Hollywood, Mescal is now proving that he can lead a tentpole, and deliver on the physical and emotional demands of playing Lucius, the son of Russell Crowe<\/strong>\u2019s Maximus.<\/p>\n The film, which will hit theaters November 22, follows Mescal\u2019s character as he\u2019s forced to enter the Colosseum and fight for his life. Directed by Scott, Gladiator II<\/em> resurrects much of what worked in the original film, from the epic battle scenes to the villainous Roman leaders, while introducing audiences to a new hero.<\/p>\n The day after a glitzy Los Angeles premiere, Mescal spoke with Little Gold Men<\/em> about the weight of carrying this ambitious new film, the sage advice he got from his director, and why he\u2019s been working at such an intense pace since wrapping Normal People.<\/em><\/p>\n Vanity Fair:<\/em> Onstage when you introduced the film, you said this movie has \u201ctotally changed my life.\u201d How so?<\/strong><\/p>\n Paul Mescal:<\/strong> It\u2019s changed the mechanics of my life. Ridley, when he wanted me to do it, I assume \u2013 I haven’t even spoken to him about this \u2013 he would have had to fight for me, because I’ve no box office credentials. There’s a real generosity and a bullishness that he has with his taste, and I’m very glad that I was to his taste. But it’s not lost on me that if this film does well, which I hope it does\u2014and I think it will do well\u2014being in a big studio tentpole film just changes your life, and it gives you certain opportunities. And that’s down to Ridley and essentially nobody else.<\/p>\n