“Saturday Night Live” is an NBC comedy program that has been broadcast since 1975. In each episode, its host – a figure from the world of film, music, sports, pop culture or politics – appears in a series of sketches alongside comedians from the format’s regular cast. Its 50th season is currently airing. Before Mescal, his hosts in recent months included Ariana Grande, Michael Keaton and Charli XCX.
In recent weeks, we have seen the actor, nominated for an Oscar for “Aftersun”, in… “Gladiator II”. He played Lucius Aurelius, the lost grandson of Marcus Aurelius, who ends up in Roman captivity. There, noticed by Macrinus (Denzel Washington), he is conscripted into his group of gladiators. He goes to Rome, where he fights in the arena to the delight of the emperors Geta and Caracalla.
In an SNL skit Mescal he reprized his role as Lucius. The creators joke that due to the success of “Viaiana 2” and “Wicked”, 50 minutes of songs were added to “Gladiator II”. Mescal dances, sings and fights in the arena to the rhythm of melodies from famous musicals, with appropriately changed lyrics, of course.
In addition to him, the skit featured Kenan Thompson as Macrinus, Mikey Day as Emperor Geta, Jane Wickline as “a wife waiting for her husband to return from the war” and Bowen Yang.