Gladiator II star Paul Mescal confesses the hardest feat in filming Ridley Scott’s historical epic wasn’t necessarily the highly-anticipated fight scenes. In Scott’s follow-up to the Oscar-winning Gladiator, Mescal plays a grown-up Lucius, son of Lucilla (Connie Neilson) and the fearsome gladiator Maximus (Russell Crowe). Set to release on November 22, Gladiator II will follow Lucius as he’s forced to follow the bloodied legacy of his late father.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mescal revealed the most challenging Gladiator II fight scene to film wasn’t difficult because of its 3-D printed, remote-controlled rhino, or the rigorous sword training and choreography, but the heat. The actor, who has undergone an intense physical transformation in preparation for the role of Lucius, said the following about shooting in the sun-drenched Colosseum for his hardest scene:

We shot that for about two or three days, but the heat was just…. My Irish blood does not function with Ridley’s shooting schedule, which is like sun up to sun down, hottest parts of the day. It was brutal, the fight. I grew up playing sports, so I would consider myself pretty robust and happy to throw myself around, but it was just the [arena] itself became like a radiator. I was borderline throwing up, irritable, just hardcore. Between takes I was firing ice straight down my back.

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A More Brutal Battleground

While Mescal does not share a Roman’s tolerance for heat, he makes up for it with tenacity. “I loved how distinct the fights are from each other,” Mescal raved about the action to come, “You can feel the accumulation of the violence on his body as the film progresses.” Working through physical routines on scorching sand, under a relentless sun, is not unlike the environment one would expect to live through as a gladiator, which the various behind-the-scenes Gladiator II trailers have shown.

That can, in a way, match the passage of time; Rome will have evolved since the first movie, and that leads to a more brutal arena.

Pedro Pascal, who plays Roman general Marcus Acacius in the film, echoed Mescal’s thoughts on the intensity of the action. As the Gladiator II cast has been pushed beyond their limits, it seems the upcoming movie will be action-packed, and even more raw and brutal than its righteously violent predecessor. That can, in a way, match the passage of time; Rome will have evolved since the first movie, and that leads to a more brutal arena. Additionally, Mescal’s account lends Gladiator II an extra level of realism and practicality that is impressive to see.

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The Anticipation Continues to Build

Mescal’s comments about the “accumulation of violence” against Lucius’ body suggest a narrative arc that will explore not only the physical, but the psychological toll of the gladiatorial lifestyle. This approach promises to both honor the legacy of the original Gladiator film, which was praised for its balance of bloody spectacle and character development, and offer a fresh perspective on the world of ancient and corrupt Rome.

There’s a palpable sense of excitement about how Mescal, whose previous work (Aftersun, Normal People, All of Us Strangers) demonstrated the actor’s ability to capture the essence of complex characters, will bring a new perspective to the beloved franchise. Combined with Scott’s visionary direction, it seems Gladiator II will not only pay homage to its Oscar-winning predecessor, but also carve out its own unique place in cinematic history. Clearly, a great deal of work went into this movie, and it should be impressive to see onscreen.