Denzel Washington revealed that a scene filmed for "Gladiator II" in which he kisses another man on the lips was cut from the theatrical release.
"I actually kissed the man in the film, but they took it, they cut it, I think they got chicken," Washington told Gayety. "I kissed a guy full on the lips, and I guess they weren't ready for that yet."
The Oscar-winner added: "I killed him about five minutes later. It's 'Gladiator.' It's the kiss of death."
Washington's role as Macrinus marks a reunion with director Ridley Scott, who previously directed him in the 2007 crime drama "American Gangster." Washington said Scott's involvement was the reason why he decided to join the "Gladiator" sequel.
"I have to be inspired by the filmmaker, and I was tremendously inspired by Ridley," he told Empire magazine earlier this year. "We had a great go-round the first go-round and here we are. He's engaged. He's excited about life and his next film. He's an inspiration. We should all want to feel like that at 86."
Earlier this week, Washington, 69, teased his retirement while also revealing that he would be appearing in the third installment of the upcoming "Black Panther" during an interview with Australia's Today.
"I don't know how many more films I'm going to make," he said. "Probably not that many. I want to do things I haven't done. I've played Othello at 22, I'm about to play Othello at 70. After that, I'm playing Hannibal. After that, I've been talking with Steve McQueen about a film. After that Ryan Coogler's writing a part for me in the next 'Black Panther.'
"After that, I'm going to do the film 'Othello.' After that, I'm going to do 'King Lear.' After that, I'm going to retire."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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