The director of Gladiator II has denied claims by its star, Denzel Washington, that a same-sex kiss was cut from the final version of the film.

Speaking last week, Washington – who plays a bisexual slave trader in the film – said: “I actually kissed a man in the film but they took it out, they cut it, I think they got chicken. I kissed a guy full on the lips and I guess they weren’t ready for that yet.”

At the Hollywood premiere of the film on Monday, Ridley Scott called the claim “bullshit”. He later added: “They never did. They acted the moment – it didn’t happen.”

His star also rolled back on his assertion on the red carpet, calling the moment a “peck” on the lips. “It really is much ado about nothing,” said Washington. “They’re making more of it than it was. I kissed him on his hands, I gave him a peck and I killed him.”

Scott’s original cut of the film was more than an hour longer than its current two hours 28 minutes, and star Connie Nielsen, who plays the mother of Paul Mescal’s character, said some of her scenes were also consigned to the cutting room floor.

“My grieving scene didn’t make it into the film either,” Nielsen said. “It’s not homophobia. It’s just there was no room for it.” Producer Michael Pruss added: “There was so much stuff that was shot that didn’t make it into the film. It was truly a non-event.”

Mescal told Attitude he believed the film would appeal to “the guys, the gays, the girls, the mums, the dads … The bros will love it as well.”