Paul Mescal gained 22 pounds for 'Gladiator II,' then had to lose 26 in 2 months. He said it was 'misery.'

• Paul Mescal said gaining and shedding weight for two of his upcoming movies was "miserable."
• Mescal told Variety he gained 22 pounds for "Gladiator II" and then lost 26 for "The History of Sound."

Paul Mescal said he had a "fucking miserable" experience losing 26 pounds in two months after gaining 22 pounds for "Gladiator II."

Mescal plays the lead, Lucius, in the upcoming Ridley Scott sequel, which could cement his status as one of the next generation of movie stars alongside Jenna Ortega, Timothée Chalamet, and Zendaya.

Mescal told Variety for a cover story published Wednesday that he spent six months trying to gain 22 pounds before shooting "Gladiator II." His training regime included four full meals a day and six gym sessions a week.

Mescal said that after shooting "Gladiator II," he had to lose weight for "The History of Sound."

"It was fucking miserable," Mescal said. "And it wasn't to get emaciated — it was just to lose the muscle. Just fucking misery."

In recent years, more actors have opened up about the toll of changing their bodies for roles.

Kumail Nanjiani told Men's Health in 2020 that losing weight for 2021's "Eternals" worsened his relationship with food, and Zac Efron told the same publication in 2022 that he developed insomnia and became depressed after he changed his diet for 2017's "Baywatch."

Mescal said the experience was worth it to star in "The History of Sound," a film about two young male lovers traveling in rural 1919 New England.

"Of all the scripts I've ever read, that's the one that broke my heart the most," Mescal said. "The center of my career is independent films, and everything else comes as a result. But that's where I will return."