Paul Mescal turned his movie Gladiator II into a musical during his appearance on Saturday Night Live this weekend – and fans are all saying the same thing.
The 28-year-old Irish actor stars in the blood-soaked new historical epic, with a cast that includes Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal.
However, in one of the skits on Saturday Night Live this weekend, Paul and longtime cast member Kenan Thompson put a crazy twist on the storyline.
The premise of the sketch was that Moana 2 and Wicked: Part One have proven to be such monster successes that Gladiator II could also get a publicity boost if it were a musical.
‘After some hasty reshoots’, 50 minutes of songs have been added to the film – a sly nod to the Wicked film’s long running time of two hours and forty minutes.
Saturday’s skit allowed Paul to put his singing skills on full display – and fans have been going wild for his impressive crooning and dancing.
Paul Mescal turned his movie Gladiator II into a musical during his appearance on Saturday Night Live this weekend – and fans are all saying the same thing
The sketch starts with an indirect swipe at Wicked, as Kenan sings a song called No Place Like Home, a reference to the famous phrase ‘no place like home’ from The Wizard Of Oz.
Gladiator II: The Musical apparently promises “the same violent epic that audiences are so excited about,” only with almost an hour of songs added to it.
Paul’s character Lucius stares at his sword and sings wistfully, “They look at me and all they see is a killing machine, but they know not so far below I am so much more than I seem.”
He then ventures into the arena and breaks out into a dance number, whirling through the choreography with impressive agility.
A quote from the film’s director Ridley Scott appears, revealing, “I wasn’t told this,” as another intertitle says the songs are by Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Paul, who starred in a school production of The Phantom Of The Opera during his youth, also proved he had serious vocal skills.
In a parting shot from the Wicked film, Lucius flies away on a broomstick at the end of the sketch, taking on the Broadway musical’s leading man, Elphaba.
In one of the skits on Saturday Night Live this weekend, Paul and former cast member Kenan Thompson put a crazy twist on the storyline
The sketch starts with an indirect swipe at Wicked, as Kenan sings a song called No Place Like Home, a reference to the famous line ‘no place like home’ from The Wizard Of Oz.
The premise of the sketch was that Moana 2 and Wicked: Part One have proven to be such monster successes that Gladiator II could also get a publicity boost if it were a musical.
A quote from the film’s director Ridley Scott appears, revealing, “I wasn’t told this,” as another intertitle says the songs are by Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Staring at his sword, Paul’s character Lucius sings wistfully: ‘They look at me and all they see is a killing machine, but they know not so far below I am so much more than I seem’
Saturday’s skit allowed Paul to showcase his singing skills to the fullest – and fans have been going wild for his impressive crooning and dancing
Fans went into an uproar on
One fan said, “Paul Mescal singing a gladiator musical sketch on SNL is all I needed,” and another wrote, “YALL, I WANT TO SEE PAUL MESCAL IN A MUSIC RIGHT NOW.”
‘PAUL MESCAL SINGING ON SNL??? GLADIATOR THE MUSICAL,” one viewer exclaimed while another screamed, “PAUL MESCAL MUSICAL ERA AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH.”
“Paul Mescal said, first of all, I’m a theater kid! #SNL,” one wrote proudly, and another breathlessly noted, “paul mescal on broadway, i’m ready for you.”
Yet another wrote that the sketch ushered in the “Troy Bolton era of Paul Mescal,” naming the Zac Efron character in High School Musical.
Directed by Ridley Scott, who also made the previous film, Gladiator II bowed in theaters the weekend before Thanksgiving but was beaten at the box office by Wicked.