Denzel Washington is having a blast in Gladiator II — just don't tell him that

When the first footage of Gladiator II started charging its way into the world, one thing became abundantly clear very quickly: Denzel Washington is having fun with a capital F.

As enigmatic wealthy arms dealer and gladiator wrangler Macrinus, he's gleefully ruthless, slippery, and conniving. The only side he's on is his own. And it's obvious to anyone who's seen the film that the two-time Oscar winner was having a blast with his every line and scene.

When Entertainment Weekly spoke with Washington in September for our Gladiator II cover story, it was clear he had already heard this feedback many times. "Everybody keeps saying that. They keep saying that," he said before adding with a chuckle, "I'm having too good a time. Is that what you're telling me?'

Signing on to do the sequel was a no-brainer for the veteran actor and director, who counts himself among the many fans of the original movie, the 2000 epic starring Russell Crowe. Washington recently told Empire that "there are very few films left for me to make that I'm interested in," and when asked by EW what stood out to him about the sequel, he cited director Ridley Scott.

"The filmmaker," he says without skipping a beat. "He's just one of the best. He's a grandmaster, and they fashioned a wonderful script, and he asked me to be a part of it, and I said, 'Yeah.' It's the kind of work I want to do. It's as simple as that."

Gladiator II picks up nearly 20 years after the events of the first film. It follows a grown Lucius (Paul Mescal), who, after the events of the first film, was sent away as a child for his protection. In the sequel, he returns to Rome as a gladiator after being captured by a plundering Roman army. There, he must navigate not only the horrors of the arena but the tangled web of politics ensnaring Rome.

As for crafting his character, Washington says there's no one way he goes about it besides "studying, and studying, and studying." But there was one aspect of becoming the nobleman that did surprise him: wearing a dress. "[I didn't have] a whole lot of fight training, but I had to learn to hold my goblet and lift my skirt when stepping over things. I had to learn to walk around with a dress on. I had to learn how to walk with sandals on," he notes.

Did it give him a new appreciation for life in Ancient Rome? "It gives me an appreciation for wearing a dress, period," he says with a laugh. "I tripped a couple of times in the beginning, but I became one with my peers."

Washington may have become one with his peers, but Macrinus is almost peerless — always one step ahead of his foes. Washington is careful not to say too much ("They have to see it," he insists) but does tease, "He wants everything, and he's willing to use anyone to get it. He wants to be king. He wants to be the most powerful. He wants everyone under his foot. He wants to rule the world, and he doesn't care what it takes to get it. He'll use anyone or anybody."

And that's what makes the character so much fun to play. “All he had to do is sit there and know that he's the best in the world at everything, and he thinks that, and that's fun," Washington explains. "He really didn't have to do any heavy lifting. The boys are down there fighting, being chased by hippos. I'm just sitting up in this tent, twirling my goblet. That’s fun.”

Washington doesn't want to take all of the fun credit, though. "I was having fun, but [Scott] shaped it that way as well. I mean, I'm sure certain takes I was a bit heavier, or it was more serious, but he chose to shape it that way," he says of his director.

Regardless of who's responsible, Washington is just excited to see the film — which he believes is "the biggest" he's been on, in terms of its scale — with a packed audience. And he knows exactly what he wants to hear walking out of the theater. "I hope they're just yelling, 'Oh my goodness, did you see that, man?' I hope their conversations are like, 'You know what? We need to turn around and go back in there.' It is big, and it's brutal, and it's violent, and it's fun and escapism. It is a good day at the movies."

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Gladiator II, also starring Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Fred Hechinger, and Joseph Quinn, hits theaters Nov. 22.