This Is What 11 “Gladiator” Actors Look Like Today After 20 Years

Gladiator is a film that was directed by Ridley Scott (yes, the same as House of Gucci and Alien). It was released on May 5, 2000 and received 119 nominations. It won 49 awards, 5 of which were Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor and Best Director. It starred the great actor Russell Crowe.

At Now I’ve Seen Everything, we’ll show you what 11 characters from this epic film currently look like, as well as a bonus with interestng things that happened during the filming.

1. Russell Crowe (Maximus Decimus Meridius)

Russell Crowe is an actor, film producer, director, and musician. He came to international attention in the historical film Gladiator. Throughout his career, he has earned several accolades and has appeared in films like The Nice Guys, The Mummy, and Boy Erased. His most recent work was in the miniseries The Loudest Voice.

2. Joaquin Phoenix (Commodus)

Joaquin Rafael Phoenix is an American actor, environmentalist, animal rights activist, and producer. He has received numerous awards for his acting; he directs music videos and produces films and television shows. He has been seen in such well-known films as Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, Mary Magdalene, and Joker. His most recent performance was in C’mon C’mon.

3. Connie Nielsen (Lucilla)

Since starring as Lucilla in Gladiator, Connie Nielsen has starred in other films, like Mission to Mars, One Hour Photo, and The Hunted. In the film Brothers, Connie won the Danish award for best actress, the same award she received at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. Her most recent participation was in the film Nobody.

4. Derek Jacobi (Senator Gracchus)

Derek Jacobi is an English actor and theatre director. He has appeared in films like Grace of Monaco, My Week with Marilyn, and Ironclad. A curious fact about the actor is that he was knighted in 1994 and is also a member of the Danish Order of the Dannebrog. His last appearance was in the television series The Crown.

5. Djimon Hounsou (Juba)

Djimon Gaston Hounsou is a Beninese-American actor and model. He gained recognition for his roles in Gladiator, In America, and Blood Diamond. In Marvel films, he plays the role of Korath the Pursuer. In addition, in DC Comics films, he brought to life King Ricou in Aquaman and the ancient wizard Shazam in Shazam!. His next appearance will be as the voice of Sumo in the film Blazing Samurai.

6. Ralf Möller (Hagen)

Ralf Rudolf Möller is a German actor and bodybuilder. The most important role of his career was in Gladiator. His last acting appearance was in Sabotage in 2014.

7. Tommy Flanagan (Cicero)

Tommy Flanagan is a Scottish actor known for his performance in the series Sons of Anarchy and in the films Gladiator and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. In 2016, he appeared in a music video for the song “Rotting in Vain,” by Korn. His most recent participation was in the television series Westworld.

8. Spencer Treat Clark (Lucius Verus)

Spencer Treat Clark is an American actor. He rose to fame with his work in the films Gladiator and Unbreakable. Since then, he has appeared in films such as Mystic River, The Last House on the Left, Much Ado About Nothing, and, most recently, Glass.

9. David Schofield (Senator Falco)

David Schofield is an English actor. He earned credits in television series such as Band of Gold, Footballers’ Wives and Holby City. On the big screen, he is known as Ian Mercer in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. His last appearance as an actor was in the series The Adventures of Paddington and Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators.

10. Giorgio Cantarini (Maximus’ son)

Giorgio Cantarini is an Italian actor. He participated in the film Gladiator as a child actor. Before that, he appeared in Life is Beautiful (La vita è bella), a film that won 3 Oscars. His most recent work was in the Italian series Distretto di Polizia.

11. Sven-Ole Thorsen (Tigris of Gaul)

Sven-Ole Thorsen is a Danish actor and bodybuilder. He won the award for the strongest man in Denmark in 1983, and because of his size, he often plays villains in the films he does. His autobiography Stærk mand i Hollywood (Strong Man in Hollywood) received very good reviews.

Bonus: Interesting things about the film and its actors

1. A cameraman inside the spectators

In Maximus’ first battle, it can be clearly seen how, among the spectators, there is a man dressed with clothes from this era and with a camera.

2. Modern shoes

In the battle scene of the coliseum, you can see how one of the actors doesn’t wear shoes from that time period.

3. George, the horse

The horse named George that Russell Crowe rides in the film is the same one that appears in the film Robin Hood. Russell commented that they had a great connection from the beginning, and that on their reunion 10 years later, when Russell went to greet George, he said, “Can you believe we won an Academy Award?”

4. Practically unscripted

According to Russell himself, at the time filming began, the original Gladiator script was only 21 pages long, while a film of that magnitude should have at least 100 pages. Of course, it had no dénouement, they were writing it as they went along and figuring out how they would do everything the next day.

5. Trained tigers

In one of Maximus’ fights, there were 5 tigers in the arena. Behind the scenes there was a veterinarian with tranquilizers, but all went well, as they were cautious and Russell stayed 4.5 meters away from the tigers during the entire scene.

6. The description of Maximus’ house

Maximus’ description of his house is the exact layout of Russell’s house in Australia. He also added the smell of the kitchen to give a sentimental moment to that scene which was totally improvised.

7. Meaning of the thumbs down

If we see this action through the “filter” of modernity, we would think that, when the emperor makes a gesture with his thumb upward, it means that a gladiator was to be spared. And if the thumb points downward, it is the opposite. But, in reality, it was the other way around: thumb up meant sword action, therefore, the gladiator would not be spared, and down, it was a sheathed sword, indicating mercy to the gladiator. This was clear to the production team, but since the thumbs-up is now considered to be synonymous with something positive, they decided to not confuse viewers unnecessarily.

8. Creation of the wardrobe

Janty Yates was the costume designer for the film Gladiator and, together with her team, she set about the task of creating more than 10,000 costumes for the entire cast and extras.

9. An actor died before the end of filming

Oliver Reed passed away almost midway through filming the movie. Proximo was considered an important character, and a clause in the production’s insurance contract would have allowed re-shooting Reed’s scenes with another actor, but most of the cast and crew were exhausted and the director did not want to eliminate Reed from the film. The script was rewritten and a body double was used to finish filming.

Who do you think was the best character in this film? Why?