Over the weekend, I watched Aftersun, the indie film which earned Paul Mescal his first Oscar nomination. He’s one of the youngest Best Actor Oscar nominees of all time, alongside Orson Welles, James Dean, Heath Ledger and Ryan Gosling. If he wins, he’ll be the youngest Best Actor Oscar winner by several years. That being said, I don’t think he’ll win? I didn’t dislike Aftersun, I just thought it felt more like an a student film. The location shoot in Turkey was beautiful and Mescal’s performance as a loving father dealing with mental health issues was moving, but I just wish there had been more of a plot. In any case, I do see (a little bit) of why the youths like Paul Mescal now. Anyway, Mescal covers the latest issue of the Hollywood Reporter, and this is a real movie star rollout. Some highlights from the cover story:
On his Oscar nomination: “It’s a world that I may be starting to understand slightly. And I love work. If I could work every day, every hour, I would. I get itchy when I’m not working. I know at some point I’ll get tired and probably burn out for a little bit, but I don’t feel that now.”
Whether the Oscar nom came as a surprise: “It’s very hard to avoid the forecasting. So I was kind of aware that I was maybe on the bubble — like on the outside of potentially getting a nomination. I was aware that films like Aftersun aren’t the go-to Oscar pick a lot of the time. So it was a big surprise. The surprise was real. Yeah.”
A very Irish Oscars this year. “I’m hoping that the Oscars afterparties are going to be fun — because I think the Irish can show up in that setting,” he says with a smile. I ask what it is about the Irish condition that produces so many of Hollywood’s most celebrated artists. “I don’t know… I feel like we’ve always overrepresented ourselves. Just in terms of population, we’re punching above our weight.”
On his role in ‘Normal People’: “I’m far from that person. There are similarities, of course, because we culturally come from the same place, we both play Gaelic football and we both suffer a little bit with depression — he more so than I do. But there are no complaints with that because the writing and direction of that show was beautiful. It was a portrayal of what it is to be a young person in today’s world. And of course a lot of things are easier, but it’s just f–king hard sometimes.”
He scored the lead in ‘Gladiator 2’: Mescal says he did not have to audition for the lead role of adult Lucius, depicted in the original as the young nephew of Commodus, the Roman Emperor played by Joaquin Phoenix. He simply took a meeting with the 85-year-old directing legend in which Scott “discussed the parameters of the story. Then, after the fact, I was given a script. And I’m so proud I get to make it. It’s an intimidating feat. It’s something I’m nervous about but something I feel like I can do.”
Whether he’ll transform his body to play a gladiator: “With films like this and superhero films, there is sometimes a focus on that, which I don’t find that interesting. Of course there’s a physical robustness required for the character, but past that, I’m not interested. This guy’s got to fight and got to be a beast. And whatever that looks and feels like is right for me, is what it’s going to be. Sometimes I see films and I’m like, ‘That person doesn’t look real.’ “
His breakup with Phoebe Bridgers: At the moment, he’d prefer to keep his thoughts on that topic to himself. “Maybe at some point. But just not now. It’s just difficult territory. Yeah.”
He loves LA: “I love L.A.. I feel like I was introduced to it in the right way through people outside of the acting community. I have a love for it that I wasn’t expecting to ever have. I’m looking forward to spending a bit of time there in the next couple of weeks.”
It’s so refreshing to hear a foreign actor talk about enjoying LA and looking forward to the Oscars and really enjoying the process. It feels like a lot of British, Irish and European actors are overwhelmed or turned off by the awards season and they spend months bad-mouthing everyone in LA. It helps that Mescal hasn’t been in LA for the awards season – he’s been in London, doing Streetcar Named Desire on stage, only getting a few days at a time to fly to LA to do big events. He just turned 27 and the world is his oyster – he’s booking projects back-to-back and he’ll be doing another big promotional tour in a few months to promote Carmen, the trailer for which just came out this week (I’m adding it below). You know what I love? No superhero movies or franchise work so far (Gladiator doesn’t count).
Cover & IG courtesy of THR.
I thought he was really compelling in Aftersun. I wouldn’t be mad if he pulled off a miracle and won the Oscar.
His breakup with Phoebe Bridgers seems low-key messy.
Just have to add Timothée Chalamet at age 22 to that list of youngest Best Actor nominees 🙂
Love Paul Mescal! Don’t think he’ll win but glad he’s enjoying the experience.
Side note: can’t be too many UK/Irish/European actors complaining about LA, considering how many end up moving there and even becoming US citizens! Everywhere has its pros and cons, but I’m sure the beautiful weather helps…After 5 months of Scottish winter I’m ready to move as well haha
I love LA too
Go Paul
I have nothing against this guy, but it’s mildly amusing to have been around long enough to see this PR pattern repeat. Like Colin Farrell, he was plucked from obscurity, discovered on the London/Irish stage, becomes a part of Hollywood’s obsession with MANLY MEN WHO DO MANLY THINGS. Paul even smokes! He makes an indie movie with BOXING (Colin played a soldier), gets a splashy role designed to be a Hollywood blockbuster, etc. The media is all aflutter, etc. Soon enough he’ll be posing soaking wet in a pool/the ocean and/or posing with a motorcycle/classic car at an abandoned roadside diner in the desert, staring manfully into the dusk.
I know exactly what you mean. Robert Pattinson was never really moulded that way, for comparison. It definitely feels like they don’t know what do to with “manly men” that are also very in touch with their mental health issues and seemingly aren’t caught up with their masculinity. I’ve always admired Farrell’s attitude towards his addiction and also never playing up his sex tape.
Farrell came up when that stuff was less talked about so it all kind of stayed in the background but I wouldn’t be surprised if Mescal pushes back against being pigeonholed into any toxic masculinity boxes.
Remember when Tom Hardy was fully on the “manly wet tshirt/boxing photoshoot” path and was asked if he’d ever kiss a man for a role or something and was like “I’m an actor, I’ve had sex with a bunch of dudes!” Lol.