Fred Hechinger still remembers the moment he received a call from his agent confirming that he was cast in Ridley Scott's "Gladiator II". The actor says he was driving in Los Angeles and he was so shocked that he immediately took a turn on the side of the road and stopped his car.
It was a dream come true for the actor, who has featured in films such as "Eighth Grade", "News of the World", Netflix's "The Fear Street Trilogy" as well as shows "The White Lotus" and "Pam & Tommy".
"I was in a car, I was driving in Los Angeles. I don't live there, I was working there. And through the car phone, my agent calls, I pick up, and she says, 'So, 'Gladiator 2'.' "I gave the signal to turn to the side of the road and park the car. I'm like I cannot be driving right now and receiving this news. It was so shocking and amazing. It's not even a dream come true. It's beyond a dream come true. It's not something you can even fathom," the actor told PTI in a virtual interview.
Hechinger plays Emperor Caracalla alongside Joseph Quinn's Emperor Geta, the two unruly and young twins ruling over Rome in the sequel, which is set two decades after the events of the 2000 Russell Crowe-starrer "Gladiator".
When a big opportunity comes knocking on the door, Hechinger said it is only logical that one feels "I have to take this, I have to do this." "And at the same time, as soon as it becomes real, you feel the pressure of the responsibility and you want to know how to use that pressure," he added.
In “Gladiator II”, Scott brings back the epic gladiatorial battles made famous in "Gladiator", the classic that bagged five Oscars, including the best picture and best actor trophy for Crowe, who played Maximus, a Roman general seeking revenge for the death of his family.
The sequel follows Lucius (Paul Mescal), the son of Maximus and Lucilla, who becomes a gladiator after his home is invaded by the Roman army. It also features Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and Pedro Pascal.
Hechinger's Caracalla and Quinn's Geta, are erratic and unpredictable rulers and the actor said they both worked hard to bring out the impulsive nature of the twins, characters based on real figures from Roman history.
"I've found that sometimes with people who have a lot of power, you can never tell if they're joking or not. It's a little scary and so we wanted to preserve that aspect of danger," he said, while revealing that he sought inspiration from British punk figures Sid Vicious and John Lydon for Caracalla.
An artist usually prepares alone for a role but in this case, Hechinger worked in tandem with Quinn to come up with a performance.
"We were a double act at a certain part of the film. So I kind of felt like we were this old vaudevillian couple, just like preparing our routine. And that was a real pleasure.
"At the same time, there are parts of him that are private and more secretive that come out. And I think that was something that you work on alone and the same goes with Joe's performance," he said.
Being part of a movie, featuring a legendary movie star like Washington and also actors like Mescal, Pascal and Quinn, as well as working with Scott, one of the most successful directors in Hollywood, Hechinger said he felt scared every day on the set.
"But at the same time, when you walk on set and you start to get into the work of it, thankfully, the work overtakes you. And that's what you hope. You hope that the focus and commitment of playing that person, being present to the moment, being present to your other beautiful actors, that overtakes nerves.
"And so I felt the magic of that environment really took over a lot of those fears," he said.
"Gladiator II" was released in India by Paramount Pictures India on Friday in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu in 4DX and IMAX.
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