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New Delhi-based Danish star Connie Nielsen recalls that she had given everything to play Lucilla in Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’ as it was the first big film of her career, but when she got the chance to reprise her role after 20 years role, the actor felt like she could slip. with more comfort in the many layers of the character.
I’m Older and I Just Know More: Connie Nielsen on Her Return for ‘Gladiator II’
The 59-year-old actor said when Scott and his team first told her about the idea of the sequel, they promised that “Connie will be happy.”
“I knew it was going to be good. I love the whole setup of the story. It’s an incredible setup. And for an actor, the way they wrote Lucilla and put her in situations that are unimaginable and crazy, and at the same time” Big, it was a great setup for her,” Nielsen told PTI in a virtual interview.
Nielsen has fond memories of her early years in Hollywood, where she made her debut with the 1997 film “The Devil’s Advocate,” starring Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves. Just two years later, she was cast in “Gladiator”.
“It was my first big film and I gave it everything I could. And I think this time I’ve reached a place as an actor and as a person where I feel very comfortable on many layers at once. I felt like I was able to play on more levels in this movie than maybe the first one, because I’m older and I just know more,” she added.
In “Gladiator”, Lucilla was introduced as the daughter of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and the sister of Commodus, who becomes the king of Rome after committing parricide. She and Russell Crowe’s Maximus, a Roman general turned gladiator, attempt to overthrow Commodus.
And in the second part, set twenty years later, it is revealed that Lucilla’s son Lucius, played by Paul Mescal, was fathered by Maximus. She sends Lucius away to protect him from palace intrigue, but is once again caught between her maternal instincts and her duty to Rome.
Nielsen said she was able to trust herself more with the role this time.
“There’s a wonderful thing that happens when you get to a certain age as a woman. You kind of realize that there’s a part of you that’s whole and amazing and that you can trust. And that’s how I felt when I was doing it. character this time.”
The actor, also known for starring in films such as ‘Mission to Mars’, ‘Wonder Woman’ and ‘Nobody’, referred to author Tom Holland’s 2003 book ‘Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic’ to describe the empire to understand. as well as the governance, political struggles and specific cultural life of the Romans.
” became like my inner kind of, I don’t know, baggage. And then I really used the religious experience, the spiritual experience of Lucilla as it would have been then, like her thoughts and how she dealt with almost unimaginable pain and danger. her life, spiritually and mentally,” she added.
When asked how Lucilla will resonate with modern audiences, given the shift in the portrayal of women on screen since she first played the role, Nielsen said the character has always appealed to both men and women.
“I’ve felt this when I’ve been approached by people all over the world over the last 25 years. You just feel that people feel Lucilla’s experience very strongly. I also think they equate the ideas of both films with the political situations.” that we also have to deal with at a global level.
“I think we are dealing with the issue of autocracy versus human freedom. And I think these are relevant and important questions,” she said.
She went on to say that women continue to evolve in cinema, highlighting how female characters played central roles in films in the 1920s and 1930s.
“It was really a step back for women in the 1960s. Ironically, in an age of feminism, women lost some of their economic cachet within films. Films suddenly became specifically aimed at men in the 1970s and 1980s. I think we are working very hard to regain that ground,” she added.
Gladiator II also stars Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger and Derek Jacobi.
The film will be released in India on Friday by Paramount Pictures India in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu in 4DX and IMAX.
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