Paul Mescal

Paul Mescal (; born 2 February 1996) is an Irish actor. Born in Maynooth, he studied acting at The Lir Academy and subsequently performed in plays in Dublin theatres. Mescal rose to fame with his role in the miniseries ''Normal People'' (2020), earning a BAFTA TV Award as well as a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.

Mescal made his film debut with a supporting role in the psychological drama ''The Lost Daughter'' (2021), and received praise for starring in the 2022 drama films '' God's Creatures'' and '' Aftersun''. His performance as a troubled father in the lattermost earned him nominations for an Academy Award and BAFTA Film Award. Since 2022, he has performed as Stanley Kowalski in a revival of the play ''A Streetcar Named Desire''.

Early life and education

Mescal was born on 2 February 1996 in Maynooth, County Kildare to Dearbhla, a Garda officer, and Paul, a schoolteacher who acted semi-professionally as well. The eldest of three children, he has a brother and a sister. He attended Maynooth Post Primary School. He was a minor and under-21 Gaelic football player for Kildare and a member of the Maynooth GAA club. Gaelic footballer Brian Lacey praised Mescal's skills as a defender, while physical trainer Cian O'Neill described him as "mature beyond his years ... very developed and very strong". He gave up the sport after a jaw injury. Mescal performed on stage for the first time at age 16, portraying the titular Phantom in the musical ''The Phantom of the Opera'', after which he auditioned and gained admission to The Lir Academy at Trinity College Dublin. Mescal graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting in 2017. He secured agents for his acting career prior to his graduation.

Career

Theatre and television roles (2017–2020)

Upon obtaining his Bachelor of Arts degree, Mescal was offered roles in two theatre productions, ''Angela's Ashes'' and ''The Great Gatsby''; he took on the latter and starred as the titular Jay Gatsby at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. He also portrayed the Prince in a contemporary retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's '' The Red Shoes'' at the same theatre that year. Mescal appeared in the world premiere of the 2018 play '' Asking for It'' by Louise O'Neill at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin; Steve Cummins of ''The Times'' commended his distinctive performance. That same year, Mescal made his London stage debut in ''The Plough and the Stars'' at the Lyric Hammersmith and starred in the Rough Magic Theatre Company's productions of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' for the Kilkenny Arts Festival and ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'' for the Dublin Theatre Festival. In 2020, he performed in the play ''The Lieutenant of Inishmore'' at Dublin's Gaiety Theatre.

Mescal starred in his first television role in the drama miniseries ''Normal People'', an adaptation of the 2018 novel of the same name by Sally Rooney. It premiered in the UK on BBC Three and in the US on Hulu in 2020. He played student Connell Waldron; he viewed the role as different from himself in the way Waldron's traits include hesitance and emotional unavailability. Like the actor did in real life, the character plays Gaelic football and attends Trinity College. The role propelled Mescal to fame. He earned acclaim as well as the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor for his performance. In their respective reviews for ''Variety'' and ''Slate'', Caroline Framke called Mescal's navigation through the character's emotional collapse "breathtaking", while Willa Paskin noted his concurrent embodiment of "intelligence, insecurity and quiet confidence". He also received nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries.

Mescal starred in ''Drifting'', a short film, which was screened at the 2020 Galway Film Fleadh. He played a firefighter in the Channel 5 miniseries ''The Deceived'' and appeared in the music video for the song " Scarlet" by The Rolling Stones in August. Reviewing ''The Deceived'', ''The Independent'' critic Ed Power highlighted Mescal's effortless "sleepy-eyed charm" and "flawless" Donegal accent.

Film career (2021–present)

Mescal made his feature film debut with a supporting role in ''The Lost Daughter'', directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal in her directorial debut. Released in 2021, the psychological drama garnered favourable reviews. The following year, Mescal starred as a troubled young father in the drama '' Aftersun'' and a man accused of sexual assault in the psychological drama '' God's Creatures'', both of which premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. The two films received positive reviews, with Mescal's performances gaining praise. IndieWire critic Kate Erbland found Mescal's work in ''God's Creatures'' "powerful" and "quietly chilling". Reviewing ''Aftersun'', ''The Daily Telegraph''s Tim Robey described Mescal's portrayal of "intimations of pain" as "sublimely underplayed". He received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for the latter.

Also in 2022, Mescal starred in ''Carmen'', a contemporary film adaptation of the opera of the same name. David Ehrlich opined that Mescal's performance "affirms his gravitas, his poise, and his willingness to fall into darkness backwards". He began playing Stanley Kowalski in a revival of the play ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' by Tennessee Williams at the Almeida Theatre in December 2022. Reviewing the production for ''The Times'', Dominic Maxwell found Mescal "tremendous" and opined that he "makes the latent violence of Stanley Kowalski into something easy, tangible, vibrant yet unactorly." The production is scheduled to transfer to the West End in March 2023.

Mescal will next star in '' Foe'', an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Iain Reid, and in '' Strangers'', an adaptation of Taichi Yamada's novel of the same name. He replaced Blake Jenner in the role of a composer in Richard Linklater's '' Merrily We Roll Along'', a film adaptation of the 1981 musical of the same name, which is set be filmed over 20 years.

Personal life

Mescal moved from Ireland to London in 2020. He stated in December 2022 that he had bought a property in Ireland, with the intention of spending time there when he is not working. Mescal is open about seeing a therapist, which he says is "to keep sane".

Mescal plays the piano, and has performed covers of songs with his sister, Nell. In July 2020, the actor performed spoken word and sang with Irish singer Dermot Kennedy at the London Natural History Museum. He participated in a virtual stage reading of the play ''This Is Our Youth'' by Kenneth Lonergan as part of a series to benefit the Actors Fund of America charity in October of the same year.

Mescal has been in a relationship with singer Phoebe Bridgers since 2020. He appeared in Bridgers' music video for the song "Savior Complex", directed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Theatre

Accolades

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mescal, Paul
1996 births
21st-century Irish male actors
Alumni of Trinity College Dublin
Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners
Gaelic football backs
Irish expatriates in England
Irish male stage actors
Irish male television actors
Kildare Gaelic footballers
Living people
Male actors from County Kildare
People associated with Trinity College Dublin
People from Maynooth