‘Gladiator II’: Fans Shocked To See ‘Moon Knight’ Star May Calamawy Reduced to an Extra in Ridley Scott’s Movie; They Wonder if Role Was Cut Due to Her Palestine Lineage

Gladiator II was released in the UK and India on November 15, a week ahead of its US debut. The sequel to the 2000 epic film Gladiator sees Ridley Scott return as director, with Paul Mescal in the lead role, supported by Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington. However, actress May Calamawy is notably absent from both the Gladiator II Wikipedia and IMDb pages (at the time of writing). If you did spot her in the film, well done, because her role is reduced to that of a mere extra, devoid of any dialogue. ‘Gladiator II’ Movie Review: The Colosseum Misses Maximus but Ridley Scott’s Return to Ancient Rome Is Entertaining.

May Calamawy rose to prominence for her role as Layla El-Faouly in the Disney+ Marvel series Moon Knight. In May 2023, Deadline reported that she had been cast in Gladiator II alongside Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, and Matt Lucas. While the other actors were given proper speaking roles when the film premiered in theatres, Calamawy’s appearance is so minimal that it could be easily overlooked without a keen eye.

Deadline previously described her role in the film as follows: "While many of the leading roles were straight offers, Scott wanted to conduct a search similar to the one for the Mescal part for the role that Calamawy ultimately secured. Given the importance of the character to the story, Scott wanted a thorough search, and following multiple auditions, Calamawy landed the part."

There was speculation that she would portray the protagonist’s wife; however, in the film, this role is played by Yuval Gonen, and it is a brief appearance.

Calamawy is indeed in the film, but some viewers have only spotted her in three shots, most of which show her standing beside Denzel Washington’s character.

Netizens Who Spotted Her in the Movie

'Scenes Were Cut'

'4-5 scenes'

'Female Lead'

'Entirely Cut'?

So, what happened? How did a role deemed significant enough to warrant a detailed audition process end up being reduced to one that could be filled by an extra? No reports have surfaced indicating that her role was cut, and the actress has remained silent about the film on her Instagram. She was also not present for the movie's premiere in Rome. ‘Gladiator II’: Ridley Scott-Paul Mescal’s Period Saga Has an ‘Indian’ Connection – Find Out!

May Calamawy's Most Recent Insta Post

However, some netizens have speculated that her Palestinian heritage and vocal support for Palestine in the Israel-Palestine conflict could be the reason her role was so drastically diminished.

'Actively Calls Out for Palestine'

'Very Telling'

'Anti-Palestian Sentiment'

'Ethnicity'

There are also some who think she was replaced by the Israel-born Yuval Gonen.

'Replaced By Israeli Actress'?

'Silently Replaced'

However, while we are not sure what character May Calamawy was supposed to do in the movie, it wasn't that of Lucius' dead wife. No reports have confirmed that she was to play that role, and it was too short to be held in auditions anyway. So suggestions that she was replaced by Israeli actress Yuval Gonen are untrue since both actresses were present during the shoot, as you can see in the post below.

Also, if May Calamawy was cast in the dead wife role, then why would she appear in the Rome scenes, albeit without any dialogues? It certainly means that her character had something to do with Denzel Washington's gladiator-0wner character, which is why she was presently in the scenes with the Oscar-winning actor.

We hope that Ridley Scott or someone from the Gladiator II production team provides a statement addressing what happened with her casting and why a role initially portrayed as pivotal turned into a mute extra.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 15, 2024 10:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).