How drinking Coke kept Paul Mescal in ‘Gladiator II’ shape, as it’s revealed he ‘looked so good’ he was forced to do more shirtless scenes

Paul Mescal is maybe a little too good at his job.

The 28-year-old actor honed his body for “Gladiator II” so exquisitely that the filmmakers made him go shirtless for as many scenes as possible, according to his personal trainer Tim Blakeley. 

In an interview with The Post, Blakeley also revealed the secret weapon he deployed to help the Irish star get a quick pump on set: Coca-cola. 

Mescal’s show-stopping figure was hard won. The actor had only 12 weeks to get in fighting shape after director Ridley Scott gave him the good news that he would be playing the film’s hero, Lucius. With an already full schedule performing in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” on London’s West End, time was tight.

A blockbuster on the line, Mescal needed the perfect personal trainer to prepare him to withstand the slings and arrows of the Roman colosseum.

Enter Blakeley, Royal Navy veteran, seasoned bodybuilder, personal trainer and owner of Media Physiques, a company that specializes in helping actors get their bodies camera ready.