Gladiator 2 criticized for cutting all of May Calamawy’s scenes

If you’ve booked tickets for Gladiator 2 this weekend, you may be confused about May Calamawy’s absence – unfortunately, all of her scenes were cut.

Gladiator 2 has been over 20 years in the making. At one stage, it was going to follow Russell Crowe‘s Maximus as he came back to life, killed Jesus and his disciples, and was doomed to a life of war and immortality (it was, rather incredibly, titled Christ Killer).

Instead, the new movie follows Lucius (Paul Mescal), the estranged son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), who’s captured and returned to Rome after General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) seizes his city. He fights under Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a gladiator ringer and arms dealer who wants to ingratiate himself with the twin emperors, Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger).

That’s already a busy cast, and there’s more going on plot-wise than in its predecessor – so, what happened to May Calamawy’s character?

Why was May Calamawy cut from Gladiator 2?

Paramount Pictures

It’s unclear why May Calamawy was cut from Gladiator 2. Fans have speculated that it’s due to her Palestinian heritage, but there’s no evidence to suggest her nationality played any part in her removal from the film.

Understandably, with the Israel-Gaza conflict still raging, the erasure of an Egyptian-Palestinian actress from such a high-profile blockbuster has raised some eyebrows. However, as noted above, it’s pure conjecture.

Nevertheless, Calamawy’s fans expressed their support and criticized Ridley Scott and co. for cutting her screen time.

“May Calamawy you will always be loved! They didn’t deserve you anyway,” one user wrote. “The fact that may Calamawy has been absent from all the promotional material for this when her role was touted as the female lead really does rub me up the wrong way,” another tweeted.

In a new Instagram post, Pascal shared behind-the-scenes photos from Gladiator 2 – including two snaps with Calamawy.

However, here’s something you should know: the actress reportedly told Comic-Con attendees earlier this month that “although she’s sad her character’s story didn’t make it to Gladiator 2, it was one of the best experiences of her life. She loved working with Denzel Washington and said it was the coolest and she felt immediately comfortable with him.”

Who did May Calamawy play in Gladiator 2?

Marvel Studios

We don’t even know who May Calamawy was supposed to play in the movie. She does appear, albeit incredibly briefly without any dialogue, and it’s listed as an uncredited role on her IMDb page.

The Moon Knight star was one of the final additions to the cast, joining the ensemble alongside Hechinger, Derek Jacobi (reprising his role as Senator Gracchus), Peter Mensah (Jubartha), and Matt Lucas (Master of Ceremonies).

However, according to Deadline, Calamawy’s role was significant, at least at the casting stage. “While many of the leading roles were straight offers, Scott wanted to do a similar search he did for the Mescal part for the role that Calamawy ultimately landed,” the outlet wrote.

“Given the importance of the character to the story, Scott wanted a thorough search, and following multiple auditions, Calamawy landed the part.”

If you spot her in Gladiator 2, you’ll notice she’s in the orbit of Washington’s Macrinus. Some have speculated that she was written as a love interest for Lucius, others have suggested that Macrinus’ story may have become too bloated and threatened to overwhelm Lucius’ arc, so her role may have been pared back rather drastically.

With the movie in cinemas now, check out our Gladiator 2 characters guide, the 5 goriest moments in Gladiator 2, and our breakdown of the ending.