Denzel Washington’s accent inGladiator IIhas brought criticism to the actor and Ridley Scott’s sequel, making it a controversial aspect of the 2024 movie. Once Scott found the right story for aGladiatorsequel, audiences were thrilled to see the collection of stars he could get involved with. This especially included bringing Denzel Washington aboard, marking areunion between the actor and directorover a decade afterAmerican Gangster. And by the time the film’s marketing campaign kicked off, the anticipation of seeing the two-time Oscar winner’s performance was incredibly high.
TheGladiator 2trailers have shown plenty ofDenzel Washington’s character Macrinus. He is an arms dealer with a ruthless quality and grand ambitions. Between Denzel’s effortless mixture of gravitas, charm, and regalness and the impeccable outfits he’s wearing, Macrinus has all the makings of a powerful character that could steal the movie. However, one aspect of Denzel’s performance has drawn some criticism, as his accent work is not what was expected for the movie.
Denzel Washington Uses His Regular Accent To Play Macrinus In Gladiator 2
He Sounds Just Like Denzel
The controversial aspect of Denzel Washington’sGladiator 2accent is that he does not use one to play Macrinus. He sounds exactly like his normal self instead of implementing any vocal changes that could help set his character apart or be more historically accurate. This decision proved controversial as the marketing began, asit puts someone with a modern New York accent squarely in 211 AD Rome. The originalGladiatormovie used a variety of accents, like British and Australian, but a regular American accent was not heard - as that would be even less historically accurate.
Fine, I’m Sold On Gladiator 2 After This Major Denzel Washington Tease
Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II will most definitely be a spectacle, but I’m even more excited after hearing Denzel Washington’s comments on the sequel.
Learning ofDenzel Washington’s natural accent remaining inGladiator 2brought some strong reactionsonline. Many wanted him to have a more era and geographically correct voice, while others loved the idea of him keeping his recognizable way of speaking to make Macrinus an intimidating force. But, it is still puzzling that the movie does include someone with a New York accent in Ancient Rome. This is especially the case when Denzel Washington has done accent work in other movies beforeGladiator 2.
Denzel Washington’s Macrinus Should Have An African Accent In Gladiator 2
Based On Real History
By using his natural accent in the movie, Denzel Washington has substantially changed Macrinus, which also adds to the controversy. This is because the real-life version of Macrinus was from Africa - Mauretania, now Algeria, to be more specific. If he grew up there in the real world, then he surely had an African accent.It would then be accurate for Denzel Washington to use an African accentwhen playing Macrinus inGladiator 2. By removing the historically accurate accent and using a New York/American accent, there is a divide between reality and the movie.
What makes the lacking an African accent for Macrinus inGladiator 2more unexpected is that Denzel Washington is not opposed to doing accents, including an African accent.He did a South African accent inCry Freedomin 1987. He’s also slated to play the African general Hannibal in an upcoming movie, but it’s unconfirmed if he’ll utilize an appropriate accent or not. Currently, Macrinus immediately stands apart from the rest ofGladiator 2’s characters thanks to his American accent. While that would still be the case with an African accent, it’d at least be a more correct portrayal.
What Denzel Washington Has Said About His Gladiator 2 Accent Choice
He’s Responded To The Criticisms
Following the reaction to his accent inGladiator 2, Denzel Washington has shared his reasoning for keeping his natural voice.Denzel Washington’s accent criticism responsecame in September 2024 and began with him discussing the uncertainty about what type of accent he would use. He suggested that the location, specific accent, and what it sounds like were all unknown variables. There are no recordings of what Macrinus sounded like or even what African accentswere like from this point in theGladiator 2timeline. This made it difficult for him to feel comfortable doing an African accent for the movie.
The fear for Denzel Washington appeared to include doing an accent that would come across as a"bad African accent.“He did not want to commit to doing a different voice for Macrinus without knowing it would be appropriate historically and culturally. After all,a bad accent can be far more jarring for audiencesthan one that feels out of place. In one way or another, Macrinus would always sound different from the rest of the film’s characters. The African accent may have been more accurate, but Denzel Washington was more comfortable keeping his usual voice to makeGladiator II.
