Be it 2nd century Rome, 19th century Wirsberg or 20th century Minsk, English is treated as a universal language, and a delocalised English accent is treated as though not an accent at all.
Although Paul Mescal is a native English speaker, his actual Irish accent is replaced with an English one in the film.
Of course, the original Gladiator film used it (though Russell Crowe’s Australian accent slipped through), as did Scott’s historical biopic Napoleon (2023).
From ancient Roman gladiators to 19th century German vampires, a peculiar phenomenon has taken hold of Hollywood's portrayal of European history: the posh-but-unspecific British accent.
Similarly, Pedro Pascal’s General Acacius and Connie Neilsen’s Lucilla speak in an amorphous attempt at the imperial accent that oscillates between British and American.
