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Connie Nielsen hasn’t aged a day as the actress wowed at the Gladiator II premiere on Wednesday night as she returned to the franchise 24 years after starring in the original.
The star, 59, played Lucilla in the original Gladiators back in 2000 and has rejoined the cast alongside Paul Mescal and Yuval Gonen for the latest installment.
Wowing on the red carpet, Connie looked sensational in a baby blue pleated chiffon gown, with a semi-sheer skirt and thigh-high leg slit.
The Danish actress teamed the halterneck number with a pair of matching satin heels and styled her hair into loose waves.
Gladiator II takes place several decades after the first instalment, and features Lucius (the son of Lucilla) who is now living in Numidia, a region of northern Africa.
Connie Nielsen hasn’t aged a day as the actress, 59, returns to Gladiator II 24 years after starring in the original
The star, 59, played Lucilla in the original Gladiators back in 2000 (pictured L) and has rejoined the cast alongside Paul Mescal and Yuval Gonen for the latest installment
Although he was sent to Numidia as a child, the film follows Lucius’ return to Rome to reunite with his mother—and coming into conflict as he does so.
Connie is one of only two actors to return from the original movie alongside Derek Jacobi who plays Gracchus.
And Lucilla has a prominent role in the film, with the actress revealing that director Ridley Scott was a major reason for her return.
Speaking about her return the star described filming as an ‘amazing process’ as she gushed: ‘just walking into the arena on that first day back was an absolute surreal experience.’
She added: ‘I was just so excited to tell the story of this woman who Ridley has set up to hold within herself a crumbling empire and a crumbling legacy of her father, the loss of a son, and in the whole of it, this heart that’s being loved by an amazing man called Pedro Pascal.
‘And then this moment where she finds her son again. I mean, these are incredible experiences and situations that Ridley set up for me. How could I be anything but excited?’
The film, which was 20 years in the making has been a hit with critics and fans have praised Paul’s performance.
