‘Gladiator II’ had almost everything: epic battle scenes, a heavy dose of nostalgia, emotional monologues and even an unexpected gay kiss – until filmmakers took out the last one.

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 film, which hits theaters on November 22.

“I actually kissed the guy in the movie, but they grabbed him and cut him off. I think they have chicken,” Washington, who plays a supposedly bisexual Roman businessman, told the outlet.

“I kissed a guy full on the lips, and I guess they weren’t ready for that,” he guessed.

However, the Oscar winner, 69, noted that it wasn’t necessarily a romantic moment for the power-hungry arms dealer.

“I killed him about five minutes later,” he said, laughing. “It’s ‘Gladiator.’ It is the kiss of death.”

As it turns out, this wasn’t the only kiss from the final product.

Paul Mescal, who plays protagonist Lucius, told Entertainment Weekly that he took a little creative liberty while filming a fight scene alongside Pedro Pascal, who plays Roman general Acacius.

“There was a moment where we were rehearsing my fight scene with Pedro, and towards the end of the scene I had the idea to kiss Pedro on the forehead,” Mescal, 28, recalled earlier this month.

Knowing that director Ridley Scott might not agree with the idea, the ‘Normal People’ star decided to give it a try without asking him beforehand.

“I did it in one of the takes, and then we send the radio messages back to Ridley (in video village), and I was like, ‘Ridley: Kiss on the forehead, did you like it? Yes or no?” Mescal recalled.

“There was a second of radio silence. His radio crackles back and (Ridley) says, “I’m afraid I did that.”

Although Ridley didn’t mind the subtle intimacy, the recording ultimately ended up on the cutting room floor.

“Gladiator II” is a sequel to the original 2000 blockbuster, starring Russell Crowe and nominated for twelve Academy Awards.

Washington has already gotten a lot of Oscar buzz for best supporting actor; However, speaking on Australia’s ‘Today’ show, he revealed that he didn’t feel any ‘pressure’ in 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’ll make – probably not that many. I want to do things I haven’t done yet.”

Washington said he already has his next six projects in mind, and “after that he will retire.”