Paul Mescal has revealed he has been cast in Gladiator II after a 30-minute Zoom call with director Ridley Scott.

The Irish actor will star opposite Denzel Washington in the sequel to 2000’s Gladiator, due out next month.

Speaking to the BBC’s Graham Norton about the casting process, Mescal joked: “Ridley doesn’t waste any time.

“I thought there would be camera tests and auditions, but we zoomed for half an hour, talked for ten minutes about the part and then twenty minutes about Gaelic football, his dog and his wife.”

Mescal continued: “I thought there would be more, but he called a few weeks later to offer me the role.

“I think he just goes by instinct, both on set and on the road, and I’m very happy that it turned out that way.”

Of course, by the time Mescal spoke to Scott for the role, the director and film studio were already well aware of his acting chops, box office power and popularity with awards voters.

The actor rose to fame in 2020 with the BBC adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People, which became an early TV hit of the lockdown pandemic.

He next appeared in All of Us Strangers, Foe and The Lost Daughter, and was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in 2022’s Aftersun.

In Gladiator II, Mescal plays the grandson of the Emperor of Rome, played by Richard Harris in the first film.

Mescal’s character Lucius is forced into slavery by Roman soldiers after an invasion and must fight as a gladiator in the Colosseum to restore Rome’s glory.

When asked how he got in shape for the role, Mescal said, “I ate a lot of chicken and lifted heavy things.

“I worked with a trainer who circled me like a shark… He went into town and I saw him every day. It was fun.”

Another of Norton’s guests, Eddie Redmayne, also discussed his physical training for The Day of the Jackal, joking: “I completely disagree with Paul – it wasn’t fun, it was awful.”

The original Gladiator earned $465 million (£358 million) worldwide and won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe.

Mescal’s interview on The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One and iPlayer on Friday at 10.40pm.