Joaquin Phoenix played Commodus in "The Gladiator". The Roman senators nicknamed Commodus "gladiator emperor" as a sign of contempt
Hypocrisy and flattery are evils of all time and often belong to high circles both culturally and politically.
It was no exception, indeed it could be called the emblem itself, the entourage of the emperor at the time of Ancient Rome, whatever the reference period.
The case of Commodus it is a more than significant example; the son (perhaps) of the great Marcus Aurelius , who practically did not resemble his father in anything, was hated because of his oddities and the ferocity that he never failed to show in the most diverse situations, but fearing his messy reactions, we were careful not to say it openly, at least while he was alive .
After the conspiracy that put an end to his days (https://www.pilloledistoria.it/6926/storia-antica/la-fine-cruenta-di-commodo), finally having free rein, the Senate went wild showing all the anger and a grudge that for years he had been forced to repress; Commodus was scornfully nicknamed gladiator emperor , since if it was possible to tolerate his boundless passion for games, getting to take part in it was considered a socially reprehensible and inadmissible act for a member of the aristocracy.
Thus Commodus found himself being sarcastically addressed and openly mocked by those same people who, in the past, had not missed an opportunity to exalt his physical vigor and uncommon strength.