Pedro Pascal talks about getting in shape for Gladiator 2 at age 49

Pedro Pascal will be open about his training for Gladiator II.

After I heard that Paul Mescal Pascal, 49, called training for the film “fun” and replied: “Yeah, I bet it was.” I bet he had fun. Maybe I would have enjoyed it if I was 20 years younger.”

“The film didn't give me a single instruction to get into any shape, but I did it,” Pascal said Entertainment tonight in an interview published on Saturday, November 2nd. “Mainly so I wouldn’t get hurt, and it didn’t work. I still got hurt. I became stronger than ever just so I could really play the character.”

Costar Connie Nielsen gushed that Pascal was “very impressive” when she saw him on set in his costume. While Pascal appreciated his co-star's praise, he remembered seeing that gladiator Franchise filmmakers Ridley Scott and have a different interaction.

Related: Paul Mescal refused to give up drinking and smoking for the role in Gladiator 2

Paul Mescal was in peak physical condition for Gladiator II – but there were two things he didn't want to give up. “I ate a lot of chicken and lifted heavy things,” Mescal, 28, said of his physical transformation for the upcoming swords-and-sandals epic during an appearance on Britain's Graham Norton Show, airing Friday, March 13 October (…) will be broadcast.

“I saw Ridley today and he said, 'Oh, your belly's gone,'” Pascal said, to which Nielsen, 59, laughed and added, “That's what he said.”

Pascal joked that he “didn't get in great shape” for the film, adding that he was “snapped” in his leather armor.

When discussing the process of filming fight scenes, Pascal noted that the 86-year-old Scott would have a sequence filmed from start to finish – which required all “elements” to be “on location.”

“It's a lot of fun, but I'm definitely getting to the point where I can't just wake up and do things like that… I can't wake up and do things like that, so I've been preparing for that,” Pascal continued. “I used to be able to wake up and do these things, but things have changed and I knew I wanted to do these things. So of course I trained and rehearsed a lot to be able to do that.”

Related: Paul Mescal cuts a suave figure at the Australian premiere of Gladiator 2

Hanna Lassen/Getty Images Paul Mescal brings his Irish charm down under. The actor looked suave in a double-breasted coffee suit at the Australian premiere of his new film Gladiator II on Wednesday, October 30, in Sydney. Mescal was effortlessly chic as he posed on the red carpet with one hand in his pocket (…)

Pascal's approach to training differed slightly from that of 28-year-old Mescal, who admitted last month that he refused to stop drinking and smoking while training for his role in the film.

“I ate a lot of chicken and lifted heavy things,” Mescal said during an appearance on BBC The Graham Norton Show at the time. “I worked with a trainer who circled me like a shark and said, 'There's a canvas for me to work with.' He went into town and I saw him every day. It was fun.”

He added: “I did everything I asked, but I like to drink and I like to smoke, so I drew a line in the sand when it came to that.”

The film takes place decades after the events of the original film, which premiered in 2000. Gladiator II follows Lucius (Mescal), son of Lucilla and nephew of Commodus.

Gladiator II hits theaters November 22nd.