20 Things You Somehow Missed In Gladiator

10. A Well-Known British Actor Quietly Played A Spectator In The Colosseum

Gladiator Chest
Myung Jung Kim/PA Archive

Brian Blessed, a legendary British actor known for his his booming voice and equally booming presence, was visiting the set one day and was asked to sit in as an extra in the Colosseum.

Blessed, no stranger to either Roman epics (he played Roman Emperor Augustus in 'I, Claudius') or historical action epics (he played Robin's father Lord Locksley in Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves,) gladly accepted and spent the day among the other extras, enjoying the shoot and watching other actors work for his character's amusement.

He's also the voice shouting "Maximus The Merciful" at the end of one of the hero's battles...

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Child of the Canadian '80s. Fan of Star Wars, Marvel (films), DC (animated films), WWE, classic cartoons. Enjoys debating with his two teenage sons about whether hand-drawn or computer animation is better but will watch it all anyways. Making ongoing efforts to catalogue and understand all WhatCulture football references.