Gladiator 2: Joseph Quinn was inspired by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Gary Oldman

The new Emperor of Rome did not want to follow in the footsteps of Joaquin Phoenix.

There are several reasons that explain the success of Gladiatorby far the most iconic peplum of the 21st century. One of them is based on a charismatic enemy, an emperor who sends shivers down your spine. Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix, left an indelible mark on the actor's career – covering him with laurels and nominations – that of Ridley Scott, and above all the public's mind, feeding the image that one has of a tyrant of the Roman Empire: cruel, ambitious, driven by an unquenchable thirst for power.

It is therefore difficult to follow such a performance for Joseph Quinn, who embodies one of the heads of the Empire, Geta, with Fred Hechinger in the shoes of his brother Caracalla, in Gladiator II. For both the audience and the actors, the legacy left by their predecessor is too heavy to bear, and expectations are immense. Interviewed by Empirethe two actors said they always kept Joaquin Phoenix in mind as Commodus, without however seeking to measure themselves against this performance:

“It was something we revered, but we didn’t want to… sully it with a bad rendering.”

Also, the latter was not their only point of reference. Far from ancient Rome, their inspirations bear the names of Philip Seymour Hoffman And Gary Oldman. Joseph Quinn explains that he is fascinated by the latter and his “ability to be horrible.”

The first one is part of the top 3 best villains of the franchise Mission Impossible. In 2006, a year after playing the American novelist Truman Capote, he took action in the third installment of the saga. He plays Owen Davian, a ruthless arms dealer who sells a biological weapon code-named “Rabbit's Foot” to terrorists. On a human level, therefore, he is far from being a recommendable person. A fan of torture, he also kidnaps the wife of Ethan Hunt, the hero played by Tom Cruise, and uses her as a bargaining chip.

The second, played a string of equally impressive villains. From the enemy of the nation in JFKto the terrible mackerel in True Romancepassing through the romantic vampire of Dracula. For Luc Besson, he plays a dishonest DEA agent in Leonand the strange boss of an intergalactic corporation in The Fifth Element : Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg, halfway between a thief and a terrifying mad scientist. A role that Oldman had accepted only to return a favor to the director who had just produced his own film.

Gladiator II is released in France on November 13. Trailer: