Ridley Scott returned to Ancient Rome with the long-awaited sequel Gladiator II, this time including double the number of volatile emperors. Joaquin Phoenix played the tortured, crazed Emperor Commodus in 2000’s Gladiator. Twenty-four years later, Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger took his place and portrayed twin emperors, Geta and Caracalla, in Gladiator II. In addition to Quinn and Hechinger, the cast of Gladiator II includes Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Pedro Pascal.
While a lot of villains in major blockbusters tend to be a little erratic, Ridley Scott actually explained the scientific reason why the emperors in his Gladiator movies are all unpredictable. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Scott explained that members of the Roman aristocracy all drank their water from lead pipes. Unbeknownst to them, they would actually get lead poisoning that would alter their physical and mental states. Read Scott’s full quote below:
People forget that all the wealthy, high-end senatorial Roman aristocracy would live on water which was piped through lead pipes and lead tanks. People don’t think about that. Your choice is water or wine. When you drink water, it’s though a lead system that by then could be 200 years old. No wonder they’re f–king crazy. They’re all going halfway to Alzheimer’s.
Emperors Geta & Caracalla Are Both Volatile In Gladiator 2
Geta & Caracalla Are Inspired By Two Real-Life Roman Emperors
Lead poisoning can lead to physical problems, in addition to behavioral issues, such as depression, irritability, and difficulty concentrating and remembering. Therefore, while some viewers may have assumed that Scott portrays Emperor Geta and Caracalla as erratic in Gladiator II to make them more unpredictable villains, he actually justified why they act the way they do. Scott’s knowledge of how much lead Roman emperors were ingesting goes back 24 years since he also portrayed Phoenix’s Emperor Commodus as unhinged in the original film.
Geta and Caracalla rule Rome together in Gladiator II, but Geta is clearly the smarter one of the two.
In Gladiator II, Scott amplified the stakes by including two unpredictable emperors. Geta and Caracalla rule Rome together in the sequel, but Geta is clearly the smarter one of the two. In Gladiator II, Caracalla actually struggles with declining cognitive facilities, which, due to Scott’s recent comments, is likely a result of lead poisoning. Despite their struggles, both Geta and Caracalla have ambitions to expand the Roman Empire in Gladiator II.
Scott Really Does Know His History
Based on the amount of historical movies he has made throughout his career, Ridley Scott is clearly fascinated with history. Other directors may have never been aware of the effects that drinking water through lead pipes had on the bodies and minds of Roman emperors, but Scott has proven that he’s fascinated with historical details such as that. While some historians have challenged Scott about certain aspects of Gladiator II, it cannot be doubted that the director is truly passionate about exploring ancient Rome.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
- Release Date
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November 22, 2024
- Studio(s)
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Paramount Pictures
, Universal Pictures
, Scott Free Productions
, Red Wagon Entertainment - Writers
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David Scarpa
, Peter Craig
, David Franzoni
