“We didn’t want to… soil with some kind of poor rendition”: Not Joaquin Phoenix’s Nefarious Commodus, These Two Actors Inspired Joseph Quinn’s Gladiator 2 Performance
- Joseph Quinn is all set to bring in his version of the villain in Gladiator II.
- Although Quinn respects Joaquin Phoenix's version of the character, his performance has been inspired by two other great actors.
- With a ballooned budget, Gladiator II seems to be replicating its predecessor, but whether or not it will be successful remains to be seen.
Joseph Quinn is a name that is on the lips of millions of cinema lovers. He has won everyone’s hearts with his work in Stranger Things, Dickensian, Howards End, and Make Up. He is also a part of upcoming movies like The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: Doomsday, and Gladiator II.
The Stranger Things actor certainly has great taste in actors, especially when he has to take inspiration from them. When it comes to learning from them, his choice is quite interesting and impressive. For his role in Gladiator II, Quinn has revealed the names of two actors who inspired him a lot.
Joseph Quinn on the Actors That Inspired His Role in Gladiator II
Recently, Joseph Quinn revealed the names of the actors who played a great role in inspiring him for his role. The upcoming epic historical action movie is directed and co-produced by Ridley Scott. Quinn was locked for the role of Emperor Geta and the actor took his inspiration from the best of actors before his role.
Although Quinn initially mentioned that Phoenix’s Commodus in Gladiator is something that he has a lot of respect for, he didn’t credit him as his inspiration. Quinn told EMPIRE:
For obvious reasons, Joaquin Phoenix’s performance was something that was in our minds. It was something we had a reverence for, but we didn’t want to…. soil with some kind of poor rendition.
Instead of Phoenix, Quinn revealed that Gary Oldman and Philip Seymour Hoffman as his sources of inspiration behind his role. He added that these two actors have a relish for being horrible that fascinates him to a great extent.
Is Gladiator II a Worthy Successor of Ridley Scott’s Historical Epic Film That Was Released 24 Years Ago?
Directed by Scott, the film also features stars like Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal. Although the movie was initially set to have a budget of $165 million, it ended up far exceeding the budget and is now reported to have a budget of $250-310 million (via Movie Web).
The movie is a highly anticipated release as it is the sequel to Gladiator. The Russell Crowe-starrer film was a successful project and fans as well as critics showered the movie with appreciation. Although the early buzz for its sequel is pretty strong, the fact can’t be avoided that the sequel resembles its predecessor a little too much.
However, it was a wise move by the filmmakers to not undo the poignant ending of Gladiator where Maximus dies and gets reunited with his family in the afterlife. Although the sequel seems to be a replica of the original movie, surprises might be just around the corner that could leave fans spellbound.
Gladiator II is scheduled for release on November 22, 2024.
