Movies Watch Paul Mescal defy gravity in SNL's Gladiator II-Wicked musical parody: 'There's no place like Rome' The ridiculous spoof features the king of short shorts stabbing his way to freedom. By Shania Russell Published on December 8, 2024 12:48PM EST Comments Paul Mescal is taking his Glicked agenda to the next level. Earlier this year, the Normal People alum was at the forefront of manifesting Barbenheimer 2.0 after learning that Wicked and Gladiator II would share a November release date. But why stop there? While making his Saturday Night Live hosting debut this weekend, Mescal gave viewers the best of both worlds by reimagining the Roman epic as the full-blown musical Gladiator Twosical. The SNL sketch features Mescal reprising his role as Lucius Verus Aurelius — but instead of being a vengeful warrior of few words, the gladiator is belting out bombastic lyrics about his feelings. "They look at me and all they see is a killing machine / But they don't know that far below / I'm so much more than I seem," Mescal sings in the spoof, slowly making his way into the arena. "They call me gladiator, they call me slave / They call me a killer / But someday they'll know my name!" Paul Mescal in his 'Gladiator II' musical spoof on 'Saturday Night Live'. Saturday Night Live Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal on the intense physical demands of Gladiator II: 'My Irish blood doesn't function' As he begins his Colosseum killing spree — stabbing and beheading his competitors to a chipper tune — a quote from the film's director, Ridley Scott, flashes on the screen, revealing, "I was not told about this." Mescal wasn't alone in his massive musical endeavor: He was joined by Kenan Thompson, nailing a Denzel Washington impression, to sing such lines as "there's no place like Rome." Mikey Day stepped in as well, starting a rap battle with Mescal that parodies the musical stylings of Lin Manuel Miranda. "I don't mean to be a hater / But I don't like this gladiator," Day rapped. "So say goodbye to this clown / Because my thumb is going down." Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. It somehow culminated with the actors flossing, attempting the viral dance move to varying degrees of success, before Mescal eventually brought the sketch to an end… by taking off on a broom, leaving the Colosseum in the distance so he could attempt the famous riff from Wicked's showstopping number "Defying Gravity." Watch Mescal sing, slay, and dance his way through Rome in the SNL sketch above.