In an unexpected revelation, Washington stated, "I actually kissed a man in the film but they took [it] out. I think they got chicken. I killed them about five minutes later, but... it's Gladiator. The kiss of death." His character's bisexuality and the inclusion of a gay kiss were significant, yet ultimately omitted from the final cut, raising questions about the representation of queer moments in mainstream cinema.
Scott refuted the idea of a gay kiss, stating, "No, that's bulls**t. They never did. They acted the moment, it didn't happen." This denies any intended explicit representation of queer intimacy between Washington's character and another man, emphasizing Scott's vision for the film.
Paul Mescal shared his experience, revealing, "There was a moment when we were rehearsing my fight scene with Pedro [Pascal], and I kissed [him] on the forehead... Ridley goes: 'I'm afraid I did.'" This highlights the spontaneity of queer moments in the film that also didn't make it to the final edit.
Collection
[
|
...
]