Paul Mescal on how he survived the “storm” of success and social media (now has two films in Cannes)

In fact, Paul Mescal’s mother reminded the Irish actor that April 26 marked a very important birthday.

“He texted me and said, ‘Two years ago!’ And I thought so? What happened two years ago? say and speak hollywood reporter This day. As the 26-year-old quickly recalled, exactly two years earlier, on April 26, 2020, a limited series Normal people It arrived on the BBC (and three days later on Hulu) and – for Mescal – everything changed. It is probably understandable that the date has let the mind down, as 24 months have passed since then.

I had little desire to decide on the adaptation of the successful novel by Sally Rooney by Lenny Abrahamson, a program that, thanks to its phenomenal role, debuted as emotionally emotional and in love with Conel Waldron, I put the debutante Mescal in the center of attention and he remained stronger. – The online turmoil at home with the first COVID-19 lockdown made him and his silver chain a viral sensation. British tabloid photographers escaped from his east London flat, their relationship became the subject of speculation and several dozen Instagram accounts were created in his honor (one known only to the network).

“I don’t even know if I would describe it as a turning point, if it was the biggest period of my life, if it was the hardest period,” he said. “It was probably all of that, because that’s why I’m surfing here.”

“Here”, it should be noted, is Los Angeles, where Mescal breaks up with a break of a few weeks. He’s just gone for a morning run, and the dog circling his feet before we talk is Maxine, Pag, owned by his girlfriend, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers.

But he doesn’t talk about changes in his personal life.

“Here” will soon be Flaco, where he has leading roles in two films that will have world premieres. As he points out, whatever the outcome of his breakthrough in 2020 may or may not be, “everything I’ve done since is related to this”.

Although Normal people Upon winning the BAFTA TV Mescal Award for Best Leading Actor (an honor he gladly paid to his constellation Daisy Edgar-Jones) and receiving an Emmy nomination, he was on his way to receiving awards. In the summer of 2020, Maggie Gyllenhaal cast her as a sensitive and observant poolside bystander, capturing Olivia Coleman and Dakota Johnson in her award-winning, directing debut. missing daughterYour first resource.

But before bowing to Venice last year, he photographed carmen, The future modern interpretation of Benjamin Milliped plays an important male role with Bizet Opera, Melissa Barrera. I just finished a sci-fi thriller by Gart Davis enemyAnother leading role, this time with his partner Saoirse Ronan and with the help of prestigious tastemakers See-Saw Films (back dog power). It was his first big-budget film and he admits he was “a little scared,” especially with a crew of over 100 people. “I’m used to working with people in their 30s or 40s, which I probably prefer because there’s some intimacy,” he says.

And two of those smaller, more intimate films are now bringing Mescal to the Cannes Film Festival for the first time.

ᲛAfterScottish director Charlotte of Wales and star of Critics’ Week Sidebar, is a two-way film in which Mescal plays a father on a leisurely trip with his daughter (played by 11-year-old newcomer Francesca Corrio). It’s a small, low-budget drama, filmed in Turkey, that he admits “manages to keep a low profile” until it was revealed he was traveling to Cannes. “It’s really exciting to announce a movie and in six weeks people will see it,” he said, adding that he was particularly pleased to meet someone several years older. “It opened me up to more exciting RPGs, so I’m glad I’m aging at the speed of knots!”

Then there’s the Irish psychological drama. creations of godIn Two Weeks of Directors and directed by New Yorkers by Saella Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, the acclaimed project that unites Mescal and Emily Watson and, with its stamp, growing independent certifications, marks its first project with A24. “Partnering with a company like this is great for me,” he says. “Independent cinema is in a bad shape, but they are fighting well.”

creations of god In fact, it was one of the first scripts Mescal received. Normal people. No matter what craziness was going on outside her door or on social media, the lockdown meant she could take the next course quietly and quietly from her room in London after meeting up with the Los Angeles tour and casting directors. (after a pause). He signed to CAA just before the show aired.) There was no desperate desire for Mescal to take advantage of his sudden glory by signing up for anything and everything.

“My first port will always be writing,” he says. “Do I feel something? Do I get nervous when I read this? And that was the case with almost every employee I chose. If this is the first time I’ve read scripts that sincerely regret me, this is my happy place.”

Mescal, while still short-lived, career and project choices reflect the fast-paced and in-demand star not far from home. Funny, he and Josh O’Connor, who gained worldwide fame on television. wreath Before returning to his independent film roots mothers week (who took him to Cannes last year) have been friends since everything went wrong at CAA after meeting their mutual agent, Zach Kaplan.

“He was one of the first people I met as post-normal people.” says Mescal. “Zack emailed me and said, ‘You know Josh O’Connor because he wanted to sit down and get close to you.’

O’Connor as an angry and troubled farmer in Frances Lee’s 2017 film God’s Own Country Mescal admits that it was a film that met all of his emotional demands. “It broke my heart when I saw it in the movies,” he said. They chatted online and have been in touch ever since, visiting London last summer when they were in both cities. “In a way, he gives me faith, he’s a fundamentally good person,” Mescal said.

The two friends now have to play together, the role of lovers in a historical romance. history of sound By Oliver Hermanus. You might not realize they knew a well-known South African director moff And the latest Sundance hit LifeHe first asked Mescal about his potential constellation. “He said to me, ‘What do you think of Josh in that regard?’ And I asked him, ‘Are you kidding me?’

Mescal says they are currently trying to find adequate space on their blogs. history of sound, which admits that it will not be done this year. “But for me, learning is that I’m dying to make movies with the people I care about, and Josh is one of the people I work with in my heart.”

O’Connor also praised his friend and told him THR Last year that therapy scene Normal people “I went crazy.” He also mentioned how Mescal managed to stay on the ground despite the “night” star.

For Mescal, the intensity of 2020 feels like he is “in the world”. While the fan base is still there, it certainly creates less cacophony. Of the many Instagram fan accounts, only one seems to be committed to the cause, most of which have gone silent for the past year. The Lonely Active Account recently published some photos of Mescal and his Normal people Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, who still keeps a lot of contact (she gave him an early film adaptation of her Disney+ movie) Young – Posing with fans at Coachella. Not that he was going to see the photos, Mescal quietly deleted his account — he had 1.1 million followers — in early 2021 to get rid of the constant noise.

“I think I made it through the storm and went the other way,” he said. “Social media has disappeared, which is wonderful. And I had seconds where I wasn’t promoting anything. So I have to disappear and essentially do the part of my job that I love.” This interview, as he points out, is the first in nearly a year.

In 2021, after filming almost the opposite. carmen, ᲛAfter s creations of godHe even managed to take a few months off at the end of the year to avoid burns before leaving for Australia. enemyShooting in January. “I was nervous that if I continued to do my standard of work, or what I thought was my standard, I would fall,” he said.

In other words, he is the most important actor for Mescal, who, despite his youth and somewhat dramatic arrival in the industry, exudes the serenity of someone in the storm he finds himself in. It’s not that he’s been aimless, targeting actors like his recent stars Watson and Ronan, an actor who says he’s “in the water.” [her career] As beautifully” as those whose paths he liked to follow. “These people essentially make a living out of independent films, and that’s what I want to see continue,” he said. “If I can make independent films, I will be a very, very happy person.”

For now, at least thanks to future projects like the World War I drama. history of sound and recently announced end of loss Along with Margaret Quell, Mescal’s happiness is assured.

Which isn’t to say he took all of April 2020 all by himself, even though he needed a jubilee reminder.

“I had the best two years of my life,” he said. “I have to be an actor. I have to be in the A24 movie. I have two films in Cannes. This is madness. ”