Paul Mescal Hanna Lᴀssen/Getty Images

Paul Mescal wasn’t all that eager to meet King Charles III at the Gladiator II premiere in London last week.

Mescal, 28, was asked about his recent encounter with the British monarch while speaking to Variety at a Gladiator event in Los Angeles on Monday, November 18.

“Never met the king [before that night],” the actor said, per a video posted by the outlet on X. “It’s definitely not something that I thought was in the bingo cards. I’m, like, Irish, so it’s not kind of on the list of priorities. But it’s an amazing thing for Ridley [Scott] because I know how important that is for him. So to see his film celebrated in that context was pretty special.”

On Wednesday, November 13, Charles and Mescal cordially greeted each other at the Odeon Lux theater in Leicester Square, where the actor joined Gladiator II costars Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington, as well as Scott, their director, in the receiving line. (The following day, Charles, who’s battling cancer, turned 76 years old.)

Mescal described the Royal meet-and-great to Variety, saying, “I found it kind of hard to hear exactly what [Charles] was saying … so you’re just kind of nodding along and, just, smiling.”

Gladiator II hits theaters Friday, November 22. It’s set over two decades after the events of the original blockbuster starring Russell Crowe, and Mescal plays Lucius Verus, the son of Crowe’s character, Maximus; he’s forced into slavery and becomes a gladiator to earn his freedom, much like Maximus in the first film.

Paul Mescal on meeting King Charles: “I’m Irish, so it’s not on the list of priorities. But it’s an amazing thing for Ridley [Scott] because I know how important that is for him.” pic.twitter.com/AR60LJ0V4Z

— Variety (@Variety) November 19, 2024

In his appearance on the Graham Norton Show last month, Mescal said he landed the part after speaking to Scott, 86, over Zoom for just 30 minutes.

“Ridley does not waste time,” he said. “I thought there would be camera tests and auditions, but we Zoomed for half an hour, spoke for 10 mins about the part, and then 20 minutes about Gaelic football, his dog, and his wife.”

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Mescal got into peak physical condition for the Roman Empire epic, and worked with a trainer who “circled me like a shark and said, ‘There is a canvas to work with.’ He went to town, and I saw him every day. It was fun.”

However, Mescal refused to give up two vices.

“I did everything [Scott] asked but I like to drink, and I like to smoke, so I drew a line in the sand where those were concerned,” he told Norton.