Gladiator II's Fred Hechinger Raves About Acting with Denzel Washington (Exclusive)

Gladiator II's Fred Hechinger Says Acting with Denzel Washington Was Something He 'Couldn't Even Dream Up' (Exclusive)

"He's such a deep and true actor," 'The White Lotus' actor says of his Oscar-winning costar

Nigel Smith

Published on November 22, 2024 09:30AM EST

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Fred Hechinger and Denzel Washington in Gladiator II. Photo:
Paramount Pictures (2)

The White Lotus actor Fred Hechinger moves from the resort to the Colosseum in Gladiator II — but even more daunting than starring in his first major blockbuster was acting opposite two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington.

Starring as Caracalla, one half of the sadistic twin-brother emperors commanding Rome at the time Ridley Scott's sequel is set (the other, Geta, is played by A Quiet Place: Day One star Joseph Quinn), Hechinger, 24, goes big with his portrayal of an unruly, chaotic leader.

He's matched in tone by Washington's scene-stealing performance as Macrinus, a former slave with plans to gain power.

Hechinger tells PEOPLE it was "a great honor" to share scenes with an actor as esteemed as Washington, 69. "It's also an immense joy," he says. "He's such a deep and true actor."

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Fred Hechinger plays Emperor Caracalla in Gladiator II — Fred Hechinger in Gladiator II.
Paramount Pictures

Describing watching Washington's process, Hechinger says he got "really wrapped up in it."

"I feel that the scenes were one thing on the page, and then you walk into it and you start to play and stuff comes up," he recalls. "That's just so of the moment, and that's what it was every day with him. He's just so there."

Hechinger, who also stars in the upcoming drama Nickel Boys and action film Kraven the Hunter, adds that he had many "pinch-me" moments on set with the legendary Training Day actor.

"There are dreams and then there are things that are beyond dreams that you couldn't even dream this up," he says. "And working with him in this way felt like that."

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Gladiator II, written by David Scarpa (of Napoleon, the 2023 historical epic also directed by Scott), follows Lucius (Paul Mescal) as he is forced to enter the Colosseum after the emperors of Rome conquer his home. The hotly anticipated movie is the sequel to the 2000’s Gladiator starring Russell Crowe, which won five Oscars, including for Best Picture.

Gladiator II is in theaters now.

For more on Gladiator II, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now.