Paul Mescal previously revealed to Entertainment Weekly that a forehead kiss he gave Pedro Pascal was also scrapped from the film.

Director Ridley Scott has denied that Gladiator II was meant to have a gay kiss for Denzel Washington, claiming "that’s bulls**t".

Denzel Washington has reacted to Gladiator II axing his same-sex kiss from the final edit of the movie. The 69-year-old actor plays Macrinus, a wealthy Roman entrepreneur who keeps gladiators for sport, in the highly-anticipated sequel to the 2000 movie Gladiator.

Denzel and Paul are both already at the centre of plenty of Oscar buzz following their performances in Gladiator II, which also stars Pedro Pascal, Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn and The White Lotus’ Fred Hechinger. Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi also appear in the film, reprising their roles from the first movie.

As Gladiator 2 nears its release, director Ridley Scott and actor Denzel Washington addressed reports of a deleted same-s*x kiss scene, clarifying its absence from the final cut. Cast members Connie Nielsen and producer Michael Pruss also discussed the film’s edits and their impact on the story.

Gladiator II' director Sir Ridley Scott has claimed Denzel Washington's same-sex kiss in the movie "didn't happen", insisting it was only "acted out".

A s Hollywood assembles its finest, from Paul Mescal to Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Joseph Quinn, for the epic spectacle of Gladiator II, the buzz began well before the s