Ah, Hollywood. The land of endless virtue-signaling and navel-gazing, where the elites can’t seem to grasp that the rest of the world has moved on from their obsession with pushing boundaries no one asked for.
The latest example? The confusion surrounding Gladiator II and a so-called improvised kiss by Denzel Washington that, spoiler alert, never even made it into the movie—if it happened at all.
It all started when Denzel told Gayety that he “kissed a man in the film, but they took it out.” He claimed the filmmakers “weren’t ready for that yet,” as if he was offering up some groundbreaking act of defiance that the public would have rallied around. Naturally, the press pounced, turning this into a headline-grabbing spectacle.
Denzel Washington reveals a gay kiss was cut from ‘GLADIATOR 2’
“I kissed a man in the film but they took it out, they cut it, I think they got chicken… I kissed a guy full on the lips and I guess they weren’t ready for that yet.”
(Source: https://t.co/gpoVLCcBMx) pic.twitter.com/ookyfB0rtH
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 13, 2024
Enter Ridley Scott, the director of Gladiator II, who was quick to call the whole thing “bulls**t.” Scott confirmed that no such kiss existed, even after re-checking the footage.
Ridley Scott denies that Denzel Washington’s same-sex kiss that was cut from #Gladiator2 happened: “They acted the moment — it didn’t happen.” pic.twitter.com/FstxCHBKRt
— Variety (@Variety) November 19, 2024
When confronted with Scott’s denial, Denzel conveniently changed his story. Now, it wasn’t a kiss on the lips but a peck on the hand—an improvised moment he described as “much ado about nothing.” So, was this a case of Hollywood misdirection or another tone-deaf attempt to drum up controversy for a film that doesn’t need it?
Denzel Washington on the same-sex kiss scene that was cut from #Gladiator2: “It really is much ado about nothing. They’re making more of it than it was. I kissed him on his hands, I gave him a peck and I killed him.” pic.twitter.com/cVpopnvMj1
— Variety (@Variety) November 19, 2024
Here’s the real issue: Hollywood elites can’t stop living in their own echo chamber. While the rest of the country sent a clear message in this year’s elections—that they’re tired of woke theatrics and ready to move on—Tinseltown refuses to get the memo. Instead, they continue serving up unnecessary “statements” like Mescal’s forehead-kissing proposal to Pedro Pascal, which Ridley Scott begrudgingly entertained with his signature sarcasm. What’s next? A Gladiator dance number?
Even more laughable was the interviewer who practically begged Denzel to “give us gay boys” a kiss scene. This is the bubble Hollywood lives in—assuming everyone’s clamoring for virtue-signaling moments over actual storytelling. Meanwhile, middle America is rolling its eyes and tuning out. They want grit, drama, and compelling narratives, not publicity stunts wrapped in self-congratulatory interviews.
The cherry on top? Gladiator II is doing just fine without all this noise, pulling in $87 million overseas before its U.S. debut. Maybe Hollywood should take a lesson from its box office numbers: audiences care more about epic battles than your attempts to force-feed social commentary into every scene. Until then, the industry will keep wondering why flyover country just isn’t buying what they’re selling anymore.
