Macrinus shared a same-sex smooch on screen in Ridley Scott's Gladiator 2, but Denzel Washington says it got cut

See "Gladiator II" premiere photos of Ridley Scott, Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal and others.

Rome teeters on the brink in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II.” Its fall is said to be imminent. The dream it once symbolized is dead. The once high-minded ideals of the Roman Empire have deteriorated across a venal land now ruled by a pale-faced emperor.

There's nothing wrong with a grunting, violent, ancient Roman holiday, especially when it boasts a supporting performance as delicious as Denzel Washington’s Machiavellian Macrinus.

The first reviews for the hit 2000 film Gladiator are in. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film is headlined by Paul Mescal.