ENTERTAINMENT'Bulls---': Ridley Scott Denies Denzel Washington's Claim Producers Removed Scene of Actor Kissing Man in 'Gladiator II'
Ridley Scott insisted there was no removal of a scene featuring Denzel Washington kissing a man in 'Gladiator II.'
What kiss scene?
Gladiator II director Ridley Scott claimed Denzel Washington was lying when the actor recently accused producers of cutting a scene of his character, Macrinus, kissing a man on the lips during the highly anticipated film — which hits theaters on Friday, November 22.
'It didn't happen,' director Ridley Scott declared.
"No, that’s bulls---," Scott, 86, declared while speaking to a reporter at the movie's premiere in Hollywood on Monday night, November 18.
Scott later doubled down on his claims, insisting: "They never did. They acted the moment — it didn’t happen."
Denzel Washington claimed a scene of him kissing a man was removed from 'Gladiator II' during an interview on October 31.
At Monday's premiere, Washington, 69, appeared to diminish his initial remarks, calling the kiss nothing more than a "peck" on the lips.
"It really is much ado about nothing," he said. "They’re making more of it than it was. I kissed him on his hands, I gave him a peck and I killed him."
Denzel Washington claimed producers got 'chicken' and cut the scene.
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Washington first found himself in headlines over the matter when his interview aired with Gayety on Thursday, October 31, as OK! previously reported.
"I actually kissed a man in the film but they took it out, they cut it, I think they got chicken," he told the outlet. "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," he quipped at the time.
Washington's costar Paul Mescal, who plays Lucius in the movie, drew further attention to the situation while speaking with Entertainment Weekly last month, as he admitted a scene of him kissing Pedro Pascal's character, Marcus Acacius, on the head had also been removed from the film's final product.
"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, 28, explained.
He continued: "I did it in one of the takes, and then we’re getting the radio messages back to Ridley 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.'"
Paul Mescal said a scene of him smooching Pedro Pascal on the forehead was also removed from Ridley Scott's film 'Gladiator II.'
Fellow Gladiator II star Connie Nielsen, who reprises her role as Lucilla, addressed the controversy during an appearance at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday evening, November 17, arguing: "My grieving scene didn’t make it into the film either."
"It’s not homophobia. It’s just there was no room for it," Nielsen, 59, sternly stated.
Meanwhile, Gladiator II producer Michael Pruss mentioned: "There was so much stuff that was shot that didn’t make it into the film. It was truly a non-event."
Variety spoke to Scott and Washington at the Gladiator II premiere in Hollywood, as well as Nielsen at the Governors Awards.
