The next time someone tries to tell you that nothing productive comes from binge-watching TV, just point it out Gladiator II. In one Hollywood reporter function In the making of the Ridley Scott-helmed film, it was revealed that the director was binge-watching Paul Mescal’s Hulu series Normal people is what helped the actor land the lead role of Lucius Verus.

Only Scott knows what led him to the drama series about an emotionally complex relationship, in which Mescal plays a sensitive man who collapses during a therapy session. Whatever the reason, it helped Scott choose him over more established stars like Timothée Chalamet and Miles Teller. Because the feature explains how Paramount film co-presidents Daria Cercek and Michael Ireland saw Mescal star as Stanley Kowalski in the 2022 revival A tram called Desire in London before making their decision, meaning Scott chose Mescal after Chalamet won a brutal knife fight as Paul Atreides in Dune and Teller participated in a shirtless football game as Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw Top Gun: Maverick.

“Every studio would always prefer to have a well-known star,” Gladiator II says producer Doug Wick. But he also later admitted: “no other actor came close.”

Mescal proved suited to the physically demanding role that involved dealing with “occasional heat stroke” according to the star, who worked in sweltering conditions in Morocco and Malta, where the film was shot. Risking his health paid off, as Gladiator II’S $106 million opening weekend box office should be enough for any studio to greenlight a second sequel. Before a single ticket was sold, Scott already had a “soft footprint” for a possible one Gladiator III. Mescal and Scott already have plans to work together again on thrillers The dog stars. Although Mescal says the pair haven’t talked extensively about making a new one Gladiator film, “it’s an idea I’d be excited about.”

Before you restart the Gladiator arena, pay your respects to Normal peoplethe series responsible for one of the biggest films of 2024 that looks like this.