Gladiator II's Denzel Washington reveals gay kiss was cut from movie

14 November 2024, 11:39

By Sam Prance

"I kissed a guy full on the lips and I guess they weren’t ready for that yet.”

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There was a gay Denzel Washington kiss in Gladiator II and it was cut from the film? How do I speak to the manager?

There's no denying that Gladiator II is one of the most highly-anticipated movies of 2024. With a star-studded cast of huge names, including Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn, it's no wonder that people are excited to see if the sequel lives up to the original. Not to mention, the film also stars Academy Award winner Denzel Washington.

Denzel plays Macrinus, a former slave with a plot to control Rome, and critics have praised his performance in the movie. However, Denzel has now criticised Gladiator II for removing a scene where he kisses another man.

Read more: Gladiator II director reveals why Barry Keoghan dropped out the movie

Is Macrinus gay in Gladiator II?

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Fans will have to wait until Gladiator II comes out in cinemas to find out whether or not Denzel's character Macrinus is queer but Gayety has confirmed that he makes references to having sexual relationships with other men in the film. On top of that, Denzel has now let slip in a new interview that he actually filmed a gay kiss with a male actor.

When asked how gay the Roman Empire is, Denzel told Gayety about the kiss that didn't make it to the final Gladiator II cut. He said: "I actually kissed a man in the film but they took it out, they cut it, I think they got chicken…I kissed a guy full on the lips and I guess they weren’t ready for that yet.”

Laughing, Denzel added: "I killed him about five minutes later. It was the kiss of death."