Everyone finds their own unique source of fitness motivation: half-marathons, yoga contortions, wedding slim-downs. Me? I’m motivated by a 28-year-old actor in a leather skirt. I want to be Paul Mescal in Gladiator II.
He is admittedly less than half my age, one of the most talented stars of his generation and an endlessly charming, global object of lust, but I’m happy to forgo all that — I just want the beefy warrior body he’s built himself for the role of Lucius.
What he’s achieved for Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel, released next week, is fascinating for two reasons. First, Mescal is a relatable, regular, 5ft 11in guy and a serious actor of huge depth — he’s not a former boxer, wrestler or towering MMA
