Charlotte Foster
Movies

Denzel Washington's awkward encounter with King Charles

Denzel Washington and King Charles have had an awkward encounter at the Gladiator II premiere in London. 

The cast of the highly-anticipated film lined up to meet His Majesty, and as the King approached the legendary actor, Washington held out his arm to shake Charles' hand. 

As the moment took place, the actor told the King with a nervous grin, “I didn’t know if I was supposed to grab your hand or not”.

Afterwards, the King asked him about his role in Gladiator II, where he plays the villainous Macrinus, to which Washington joked, “I’m, just an awful … I’m a lovely man you’ll see. I’m a lovely chap”.

The King then told Washington, “You’ve been in so many films, it’s fantastic.”

Denzel was joined at the premiere by his fellow co-stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and the film's director Ridley Scott. 

Gladiator II returns fans to Ancient Rome, but is set 20 years after the original Gladiator - released in 2000 and starring Russell Crowe - focusing on a now grown-up Lucius who is forced into slavery after a Roman invasion sees his home destroyed and his wife killed.

Image credits: Eddie Mulholland/WPA Pool/Shutterstock Editorial 

Tags:
movies, King Charles, Denzel Washington, Gladiator