'Gladiator II' Director Ridley Scott Compares Denzel Washington's Character to Trump: 'A Clever Gangster'

Denzel Washington stars in Gladiator II as a glamorous armaments trader and former gladiator plotting to take control of Rome.

The character, Macrinus, is based on a historical individual. But filmmaker Ridley Scott believes Macrinus resembles a specific modern-day politician.

Denzel Washington plays Macrinus in 'Gladiator II,' from Paramount Pictures.

Paramount Pictures

When detailing the character's (spoiler-free) past, Scott told The Hollywood Reporter, "[Macrinus] was a prisoner of war — probably in a North African state — and was taken to Rome, most likely as a gladiator. Survived. I got free. I got into the business of perhaps creating wine and bread. He became a wealthy trader who sold goods to the Roman troops, including food, oil, wine, fabric, and weaponry. He may have had a million men distributed over Europe. So he was a millionaire at the time; why wouldn't he [aspire to the throne]? 'Why not me?' He is also a mobster, extremely connected to Trump. A smart mobster. He causes chaos, from which he might evolve."

Washington had previously said regarding the role, "He's trying to use everybody." He'd exploit his mother and his own children; he'd already used up his soul, so he didn't have any more. He's in bed with the devil.

The 70-year-old actor, whose scene-stealing performance is generating Oscar talk, also made news by revealing that he had a same-sex kiss that was edited from the picture (the original version was over four hours long, Scott has stated). But Scott subsequently confirmed that the kiss was acted out at a rehearsal but was not captured for camera, whilst Washington later emphasized that it was more like "a peck" and that the fuss about the moment was "much ado about nothing."

Washington also disclosed in a recent interview that he has been sober for over ten years after having a problem with wine. "I've done a lot of damage to the body," Denzel told Esquire. "We will see. I've been clean. It will be ten years this December. I stopped at 60 and have not had a thimble's worth since. Things are opening up for me now, like if I were 70. It is real. And that's okay. This is the final chapter; if I get another 30, what do I want to do? My mother got it until 97."

Gladiator II, the long-awaited sequel to Scott's Oscar-winning 2000 action epic, releases this weekend and stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Washington.