Hechinger found himself swerving off an LA freeway to digest the news. “I had to park up because I felt that it was dangerous to keep driving,” he laughs. “I was in such a state of shock and amazement. Getting that phone call is one of those moments that you'll never forget.”

In fact, many years had passed since Hechinger first read for Sir Ridley and despite positive feedback, there had been no call back. “I heard that there was a good response to my audition but, if I’m being honest, I didn’t believe it. I just thought it was one of those polite lies that they tell an actor.”

Hechinger attended the prestigious Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, known for its knack for spotting and nurturing young breakout actors, where his classmates included Ms Maya Hawke (for whom he would go on to direct the video for her song “Blue Hippo”) and Mr Lucas Hedges, no less.

His stint in the notorious improv group The Upright Citizens Brigade also left him unphased by Sir Ridley Scott’s singular shooting style, which involved filming with up to eight cameras at a time. “I started in in theatre, so in that regard, I felt the familiarity with [Sir Ridley’s process]. In theatre, you are aware of all the angles and aspects, so you feel the impulsive need to block or move to this corner or that.”

“As a kid, Thelma And Louise and Alien were my favourite movies,” Hechinger says. “[They] expanded my idea of what a director can be. [Sir Ridley Scott is] a visionary.”

Sir Ridley Scott sketches out his movies front-to-back and had drawn up Emperor Caracalla long before Hechinger was cast. “When we first met, he showed me an illustration that he had made of Caracalla. It was so inspiring, funny, weird and specific. The visual language that he was trying to share was the biggest gift to me.”

The comedic double-act was an unexpected reference for Emperor Caracalla. “Sir Ridley Scott is a fan of Beavis and Butthead,” Hechinger says. “He wants his films to feel vital and messy in the way that contemporary life is. Even when he’s making these films that take place in all different eras, he’s not concerned with only focusing on references to the past. He enjoys anachronistic references to enliven and inspire and connect the story.”

They built a character that treads the line between terrifyingly Machiavellian and plain absurd. There is Caracalla’s cartoonish fire-red hair (inspired by the Sex Pistols’ Mr Johnny Rotten) and one-liners fit for any Shakespearean villain.

“I’ve never experienced any aspect of life that isn’t free of both comedy and tragedy in equal parts,” Hechinger says of his mindset while shooting. “I sometimes felt like Joseph [Quinn] and I were an old vaudevillian couple. I felt that brotherly connection with him quickly.”

There was a moment on set in Malta where Hechinger had to pinch himself. “I found myself frequently looking at Paul [Mescal] and Joe [Quinn] and thinking, ‘What is happening?’” he says. “Everybody was just amazed by the experience. The set is arranged in a very unique way, whereby the world feels completely real around you.”

The coliseum was built from scratch, no CGI whatsoever: “I heard from the production team that the coliseum was 25 per cent bigger [than in the original].”

As a big fan of Normal People, working with Mescal was particularly special. “I love that book so much and that show a lot,” Hechinger says. “His performance is beautiful in it. And I loved him in Aftersun…”

The bonding onset also made way for a cast WhatsApp group: “[the chat was mainly] soccer,” he laughs.

Next up, Hechinger stars as comic-book villain the Chameleon alongside Mr Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Sony and Marvel’s Kraven The Hunter – perhaps his most meta role to date. “Like an actor, the Chameleon's power is becoming other people,” Hechinger says. “It was very interesting to explore why a person wants to be so many other people.”

And so, on the cusp of talking-point films entering the ether, Hechinger is all too aware of the calm before the storm. “That’s the funny thing about this job; your life both changes and stays the same.”