Gladiator Star Says Movie’s Last Scene Wasn’t in Original Script
Gladiator star Djimon Hounsou reveals that the last scene in the movie wasn't actually in the original script. Released in 2000, Gladiator was a hit both critically and commercially and is largely the film responsible for propelling actor Russell Crowe to stardom. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film tells the story of a prestigious general, Maximus, who, after witnessing the death of his wife and child at the hands of the Emperor's tyrannical son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), is sold into slavery and forced to become a gladiator.
Hounsou plays Juba, a fellow gladiator who becomes an ally to Maximus. After sustaining fatal wounds during his climactic battle with Commodus, Maximus dies, leaving the movie's final scene to focus on Juba. Juba buries Maximus' small figurines of his slain family in the Colosseum before promising that he will see Maximus again, but "not yet." While it has now been more than twenty years since the release of Gladiator, talk of a sequel has been ongoing for years, with Scott confirming in the fall of last year that a script for Gladiator 2 is now written and ready to go.
Related: Gladiator True Story & Historical Accuracy: How Much Really Happened
In a new interview with GQ, wherein Hounsou breaks down the most iconic characters he's played throughout his career, the actor reveals that his iconic final scene in Gladiator wasn't even in the original script. According to Hounsou, the death of actor Oliver Reed, who played Proximo, forced Scott and the studio to make changes on the fly regarding how to end the film. Ultimately, Hounsou says, the final shot ended up being an intimate moment captured with most of the crew not even present.
«The majority of the production was not aware of what we were
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