Ridley Scott still going strong at 86

It’s been 24 years since director Ridley Scott scored one of the biggest hits of his career with “Gladiator,” a swords-and-sandals epic starring Russell Crowe that won the Oscar for best picture. Now 86, Scott still works at a prodigious pace, sometimes even directing two films in the same year.

His latest is “Gladiator II,” which picks up two decades after Crowe’s character, Maximus, died. In the years since, Lucius (Paul Mescal) — Maximus’ son — has been shuttled to North Africa where he, too, has become a capable fighter. But war waged by Roman general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) will draw Lucius back to his birthplace.

Scott sat down for an interview at his Los Angeles office, which was decorated with posters of some of his memorable films like “Alien,” “Blade Runner” and “The Martian.” True to form, he already was deep into preproduction for his next movie (a Bee Gees biopic set to shoot in February) and even had begun storyboarding the one after that (a sci-fi adaptation).

“I feel alive when I’m doing something at this level,” he said. “I don’t call it stress, I call it adrenaline. And a bit of adrenaline is good for you.”

Here are edited excerpts from our conversation.

Q: A sequel to “Gladiator” had been in the works for over two decades, making it by far the longest film you’ve ever developed. What made you want to see it through?

A: [The first “Gladiator” in 2000] had a growing success: After it was released, it was pretty good, but the beloved nature of the film grew partly because of the [streaming] platforms. So I kept hearing how people loved “Gladiator.” I thought, “You know, we better do something.”

A: Russell and I got together a couple of years afterward, and Russell said, “What can we do? I’m dead.”

Q: There was even a sequel idea that musician Nick Cave wrote, where Maximus is resurrected as an instrument of the Roman gods. That obviously didn’t happen.

A: It got too grand. Nick is very high theater, and Steven Spielberg [who was consulted on the original film] said, “Nah.” I wasn’t confident about what we had actually put together, so I just let it go.

Q: How did you know that this new incarnation was right after all those years of false starts?

A: I became determined to not let it go because the enthusiasm wouldn’t go away. I wanted to honor that, and I’d be crazy not to — also financially crazy because if you get it right, it’s a big winner. So I just thought, “I’m going to sit here until we come up with a footprint.”

A: I noticed Paul when I was watching “Normal People.” I thought, “My God, he looks like Richard Harris,” so immediately, ding! It’s the nose, the profile. At this point, I think I’ve spotted so many first-timers right back to Sigourney [Weaver for “Alien”], Brad [Pitt for “Thelma & Louise”]. Part of my job is I’m a good caster, and I’m also helped by very good casting directors, so I choose them carefully. To me, a casting director is as important as a good camera.

Q: What do you remember about the night “Gladiator” won best picture? The film won several Oscars, though not the directing trophy. Steven Soderbergh won best director that year for “Traffic.” He looked surprised.