Tag: denzel washington

Paul Mescal gushes about Denzel Washington’s charisma and Pedro Pascal’s talent

What an utterly charming set.

Gladiator II storms into theaters today, 24 years after the original. The Ridley Scott sequel has received a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, in part due to the tremendous performances from Paul Mescal (Lucius), Pedro Pascal (Marcus Acacius) and Denzel Washington (Macrinus).

Mescal, who takes on the lead role, had nothing but high praise for his charming co-stars in a recent interview with For The Win.

MORE: Why Paul Mescal sees doubt about Gladiator 2 as only a good thing

“What I thought Denzel’s charisma would be was magnified by about tenfold,” Mescal explained of Washington. “Which sounds like it shouldn’t be a surprise, but when you’re confronted with it, it’s a pretty staggering, incredible thing to be stood across from.”

Mescal wasn’t short of compliments for Pascal, either. “He’s an extraordinary talent, and he wears it so lightly. He’s just a wonderful person… it’s wonderful to be in his company, and I think he’s extraordinary in the film.”

If it seems like too much charisma one set, it’s possible that’s the case.

“It’s a lot for someone to try and absorb, yeah,” Mescal said with a smile.

Gladiator II is in theaters nationwide November 22.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1098]

Why Paul Mescal sees doubt about Gladiator 2 as only a good thing

The Gladiator II star knows that expectations can be a good thing.

Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic Gladiator is widely regarded as a nearly perfect film. Russell Crowe’s turn as Maximus was a career defining moment, and Joaquin Phoenix was phenomenal as the utterly unhinged and ambitious Commodus.

Twenty-four years later, Scott is ready for the movie’s sequel to hit theaters. Gladiator II releases on Friday, November 22, bringing the audience back into the world of ancient Rome, the Colosseum, and emperors. Paul Mescal takes over in the lead role, and the charismatic actor knows that viewers might have reservations about touching the franchise again.

“I weirdly see the reservations as a positive thing, because it means that the film has a legacy,” Mescal said in a recent interview with For The Win. “I’m biased, but I think from what we’ve experienced from the first kind of reviews is that people who did go in with a kind of reservation, a lot of those people were brave enough to say, ‘Hey, I went in with these reservations,’ but the film has has really, really worked on them.”

With a “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it appears as though the sequel is connecting with fans. With high-octane action and outstanding performances from Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal, it’s easy to see why. Still, Mescal wants fans to still keep the skepticism going into the movie.

“So anybody who has reservations, hold on to them, do whatever, but I can hopefully assure you that within the first three or four minutes of the film that you’ll be put at ease.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1098]

Denzel Washington is basically playing himself in Gladiator II and we’re here for it

Denzel Washington knew he didn’t have to change anything for Gladiator II.

If you ever wondered what a Denzel Washington character would sound like in a fictional Roman world, you are in for a treat. It is exactly as awesome as you imagined.

On Tuesday, the first trailer for Gladiator II dropped, the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s brutal, Oscar-winning hit from 2000. Among the various little stories and characters sprinkled in here and there is Washington as Macrinus, a shady power broker clearly at the absolute top of his game.

Did Washington do any accent work to sound more “Roman”? Does his character sound or act any meaningfully different than a corrupt Los Angeles cop in Training Day?

Nope! And that’s what will probably make Washington’s performance so exceptional:

Given the history of some of Washington’s more well-known characters, I have little doubt that his Macrinus knows precisely how to move all of the chess pieces in his favor. We will almost certainly see some trademark Washington verbal manipulation in the heat of battle, and we will see him deliver brooding glances at wounded warriors that pierce through their souls.

I have suddenly never wanted more from a movie.

Featured image courtesy of Paramount Pictures

15 of the best Oscar speeches, including Tom Hanks and Halle Berry

The Academy Awards always have great speeches. Here are 15 of our favorites.

The Academy Awards have always been a great place for great speeches.

Over the years, we’ve seen incredible outpourings of gratitude mixed in with unforgettable exclamations of jubilee. Heck, we’ve even seen someone do push-ups.

We’ve tallied 15 of our favorite speeches from over the years, ranging from ones by actors like Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Denzel Washington and Robin Williams.

While this list is by no means exhaustive, it’s a reflection of what makes for a great Oscars speech and some admiration for some of our favorite Academy Award moments.

Sit back, relax and get those Academy Awards memories going.

Tom Brady, Denzel Washington reenact scene from classic movie

Tom Brady and Denzel Washington reenacting this legendary “Remember the Titans” scene is a must-watch.

A podcast featuring former seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady and two-time Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington is the perfect thing to be thankful for on Thanksgiving week.

Washington appeared on the “Let’s Go” podcast and ended up reenacting one of the most famous scenes in film history.

The scene came from “Remember the Titans,” when Washington’s character, coach Herman Boone, introduces himself to actor Donald Faison’s character, Petey Jones, for the first time. It’s a fun back and forth between the two characters with Boone setting the coaching tone for the rest of the movie.

In the impromptu podcast line reading, Washington reprised his role as Boone, while Brady read Jones’ lines.

Since Brady isn’t playing football these days, maybe he can get some time onscreen with Washington. That superstar duo could crank out a Hollywood banger quicker than Petey could put his hand down.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Chandler Parsons: ‘Kobe Bryant paid me a $22,000 club bill… this dude was cool as f—‘

Chandler Parsons story on Kobe Bryant:  So my rookie year we’re playing in Staples Center. Kevin McHale pulls me aside and tells me ‘you’re gonna see crazy people, you’re gonna see celebrities there and Kobe is gonna try and bust your ass, like he’s gonna be offended you’re guarding him.’ First of all, I’m just looking at the court side. My head’s on a swivel, I’ve never seen this before, right? I’m like, goddamn, this is great. Denzel Washington is there, this chick is there… I’m already distracted. And of course I’m starting on Kobe. A little side note: Jordan Hill that year had got traded from Houston to LA. So the fourth quarter comes around and Kobe looks at me and he’s like, ‘are you guys staying the night tonight?’ And I’m like, making sure McHale is not looking at me and I’m like ‘yeah, what up? We’re staying.’ He goes, ‘I’ll set you up. I’ll get your number from Hill if you want to go out tonight’. McHale is over there grilling me like ‘stop talking to this motherf—–’. So he ends up going off, he scores like 40 that game and we lose. After the game we’re going to have dinner at the Katsuya LA Live. We’re with all the OGs, right? We’re with Marcus Camby and they’re all taking me out. I get a text that goes ‘You’re all set at Supper Club – Mamba’. And I’m like, looking around like ‘alright, who’s f—— with me?’ Like, no way. Courtney Lee was my guy and I’m like, showing him like, is this real? So I write him back. I’m like, are you coming? And he’s like ‘no, I can’t make it but my guy will hit you up’. Guy texts me ‘Hey, you’re set up, let me know what you need at Supper Club’, whatever.

Chandler Parsons: So at this point, I’m …

Chandler Parsons: So at this point, I’m like, guys, I got you. Kobe’s my guy. He set it up. Let’s go! JB Bickerstaff is there. I’m bringing coaches. I’m bringing trainers. This is ‘I got it’. And we have a blast, right? We have the craziest night ever. Supper Club was the club where the tables were beds. It was awesome. It was nuts. Then 2 AM rolls around. I’m with these guys that made hundreds of millions of dollars and this waitress beelines right to me with the check. And I’m like, ‘oh shit!’… She’s bringing me this bill for God knows how much and I’m like, oh man. I open it and it’s like $22,000 and now at this point I’m like, physically sick. I can’t do this because the card’s gonna bounce! I’ll never forget it, this chick looks at me, hands me a pen and says ‘sign for Mr. Bryant’. And I’m like, what?! A made a video of the whole thing, I’m so excited. I signed ‘Kobe Bryant’ on a $22,000 club bill… This dude was cool as f—.

Chandler Parsons: ‘Kobe Bryant paid me a $22,000 club bill… this dude was cool as f—‘

Chandler Parsons story on Kobe Bryant: So my rookie year we’re playing in Staples Center. Kevin McHale pulls me aside and tells me ‘you’re gonna see crazy people, you’re gonna see celebrities there and Kobe is gonna try and bust your ass, like he’s …

Chandler Parsons story on Kobe Bryant:  So my rookie year we’re playing in Staples Center. Kevin McHale pulls me aside and tells me ‘you’re gonna see crazy people, you’re gonna see celebrities there and Kobe is gonna try and bust your ass, like he’s gonna be offended you’re guarding him.’ First of all, I’m just looking at the court side. My head’s on a swivel, I’ve never seen this before, right? I’m like, goddamn, this is great. Denzel Washington is there, this chick is there… I’m already distracted. And of course I’m starting on Kobe. A little side note: Jordan Hill that year had got traded from Houston to LA. So the fourth quarter comes around and Kobe looks at me and he’s like, ‘are you guys staying the night tonight?’ And I’m like, making sure McHale is not looking at me and I’m like ‘yeah, what up? We’re staying.’ He goes, ‘I’ll set you up. I’ll get your number from Hill if you want to go out tonight’. McHale is over there grilling me like ‘stop talking to this motherf—–’. So he ends up going off, he scores like 40 that game and we lose. After the game we’re going to have dinner at the Katsuya LA Live. We’re with all the OGs, right? We’re with Marcus Camby and they’re all taking me out. I get a text that goes ‘You’re all set at Supper Club – Mamba’. And I’m like, looking around like ‘alright, who’s f—— with me?’ Like, no way. Courtney Lee was my guy and I’m like, showing him like, is this real? So I write him back. I’m like, are you coming? And he’s like ‘no, I can’t make it but my guy will hit you up’. Guy texts me ‘Hey, you’re set up, let me know what you need at Supper Club’, whatever.

Source: Apple Podcasts

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Matt Williams @StatsWilliams
Karl-Anthony Towns in his 60-point performance:
21 points off 3s
22 points in the paint
He is the first player to score more than 20 points off 3s and more than 20 points in the paint in a game since…
Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game in 2006 – 10:08 AM
Nick DePaula @NickDePaula
Kuminga’s Kobe 8 rotation this season 🐍 pic.twitter.com/fZ9plhqRZe – 12:16 AM

Nick DePaula @NickDePaula
Jordan Poole’s Kobe 11 rotation this season 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/5SgW0fwyGs – 12:05 AM

Chris Palmer @ChrisPalmerNBA
So far in March 2022: 60, 56, 54, 53, 50
Kobe in March 2007: 65, 60, 50, 50 (in 7 days) – 11:56 PM
Sam Quinn @SamQuinnCBS
Give me a Kobe-Shaq season of Winning Time just so I can see Jeff Bridges play Phil Jackson. – 11:15 PM
Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
LeBron has more career assists (regular season and playoffs combined) than Oscar Robertson or Chris Paul or Steve Nash.
And LeBron has more career points than Michael Jordan or Kareem or Kobe.
lol – 10:03 PM
Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
📅 On this day in 2005, the @Toronto Raptors Donyell Marshall set franchise records for 3P made (12) and attempted (19) in a 128-110 win over the 76ers.
Marshall tied Kobe Bryant’s NBA record for most 3P made in a game, a record which is now held by Klay Thompson (14). pic.twitter.com/Rdfqd40REj – 3:01 PM

Eric Koreen @ekoreen
Motion to change “Kobe Assists” to “Precious Assists” – 9:58 PM
Jason Dumas @JDumasReports
Kobe Bryant started a fun tradition at LM by gifting a pair of Kobe’s to each player on teams that made the state playoffs. This was the first year that an LM team made it since he passed.
Nike didn’t honor it, but @aceshoops alums were determined to keep the tradition alive. pic.twitter.com/FXHjjNOlgC – 4:54 PM

More on this storyline

Chandler Parsons: So at this point, I’m like, guys, I got you. Kobe’s my guy. He set it up. Let’s go! JB Bickerstaff is there. I’m bringing coaches. I’m bringing trainers. This is ‘I got it’. And we have a blast, right? We have the craziest night ever. Supper Club was the club where the tables were beds. It was awesome. It was nuts. Then 2 AM rolls around. I’m with these guys that made hundreds of millions of dollars and this waitress beelines right to me with the check. And I’m like, ‘oh shit!’… She’s bringing me this bill for God knows how much and I’m like, oh man. I open it and it’s like $22,000 and now at this point I’m like, physically sick. I can’t do this because the card’s gonna bounce! I’ll never forget it, this chick looks at me, hands me a pen and says ‘sign for Mr. Bryant’. And I’m like, what?! A made a video of the whole thing, I’m so excited. I signed ‘Kobe Bryant’ on a $22,000 club bill… This dude was cool as f—. -via The Athletic / March 15, 2022

2022 Academy Awards: Full nominee list led by Dune, The Power of the Dog

The Power of the Dog, Dune and Being the Ricardos top this year’s heavy-hitting nominees

Nominees for the 94th Academy Awards were finally unveiled on Tuesday morning. A star-studded list of films, actors and directors was led by two very different types of blockbusters.

More than a decade after her last film, New Zealand director Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog earned 12 nominations while Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Dune came in second with 10 nominations.

The Best Actor and Best Actress categories are once again filled with heavy hitters like Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos), Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth), Andrew Garfield (Tick, Tick…Boom!), Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos) and Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter).

Here’s a look at the full list of nominees. The Academy Awards will air on Sunday, March 27 on ABC.

Like basketball fans worldwide, Eric …

Like basketball fans worldwide, Eric Piatkowski watched “The Last Dance,” a 10-part mini-series on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. With each episode, Piatkowski was reminded of his NBA career, which spanned 14 years. The University of Nebraska graduate made his NBA debut 1994 with the Los Angeles Clippers. “My rookie year, we had the worst record in the NBA,” Piatkowski said. “We were averaging about 2,500 people per game. Everyone said ‘Wait until the Bulls come to town.’ Every star in town is there and there are flashbulbs going off. I’m like, ‘Man, this is amazing.’” Piatkowski remembers seeing several celebrities courtside for his first Bulls vs. Clippers game, including Tiger Woods, Denzel Washington, and Jack Nicholson. Piatkowski adds that prior to the game, his wife and family members were taking pictures with celebrities courtside.