Denzel Washington is determined to get Ridley Scott his long “overdue” Oscar. Washington, who reunites with Scott for “ Gladiator II ” almost 20 years after 2007’s “American Gangster,” told The Hollywood Reporter that Scott not having won Best Director is almost criminal.

The director explains the backstory behind Washington's scene-stealing character, and how he's not unlike the president-elect.

Now, director Ridley Scott is returning to ancient Rome with the long-awaited sequel, "Gladiator II" which hits theaters Friday. The film stars Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, and Pedro Pascal in a story set in the same brutal Roman Empire —one that didn't leave Scott's mind in the years since its first release.