‘SNL’: Paul Mescal turns ‘Gladiator II’ into musical with nod to ‘Wicked’

Paul Mescal surprised fans with his singing skills for a Gladiator II themed musical for Saturday Night Live.

The skit was based on the premise that Gladiator II has been re-filmed to add 50-minutes of songs to turn it into a musical so it can compete better with hit musicals Wicked and Moana 2.

In the musical, titled No Place Like Rome, Mescal sang about being misunderstood as a “killing machine,” singing that “they don’t know that far below I’m so much more.”

The musical began with Kenan Thompson singing there’s No Place Like Rome and then highlighting the best aspects of the city, which convinced Mescal of the city’s promise and he said with a wink, “I’m gonna like it here.”

Mikey Day delivered a hilarious performance as Rome’s mad emperor and did a rap battle with the Normal People star.

“I don’t mean to be a hater, but I don’t like this gladiator,” Mikey sang, giving his verdict for the gladiator’s life.

Towards the end of the skit, reviews flashed on the screen, with director Ridley Scott’s quote reading: “I was not told about this.”

Another read, “Movies are in such a weird place right now.”

Paul Mescal ended the Gladiator II musical skit with a broom ride and sang a version of Wicked’s battle cry from the song Defying Gravity.