Paul Mescal doesn’t want to be a movie star, but he may not have a choice
He’s become famous all over the world, earned recognition from the most prestigious awards ceremony on the industry calendar, and is preparing to make his blockbuster debut in one of the most hotly anticipated releases in 2024, but in the grand scheme of things, Paul Mescal is still brand new to cinema.
The actor’s first feature to secure an exclusive theatrical release only hit cinemas in October 2022, and it was Aftersun. Writer and director Charlotte Wells’ emotionally affecting coming-of-age drama was instantly singled out as one of the year’s best movies, with its one and only Academy Award nomination being Mescal’s in the ‘Best Actor’ race.
It wasn’t his film debut, though. Even at that, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter was a Netflix exclusive, albeit one that notched a trio of Oscar nods, including ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’. Mescal’s sophomore feature, the psychological drama God’s Creatures, was rolled out simultaneously in theatres and on-demand in the United States, making Aftersun the announcement of his arrival in more ways than one.
Of course, it was Normal People that first put him on the map to begin with, after the series belied its humble beginnings as a BBC Three original to become an international sensation when it was picked up by Hulu in the United States, landing Mescal on the Primetime Emmy shortlist for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie’.
Musical drama Carmen, romantic fantasy All of Us Strangers, and sci-fi thriller Foe have kept the star moving through different genres, and while the results haven’t always been superb or spectacular, his performances have never been anything less than tremendous. It’s only a matter of time before a rising talent makes their big budget bow, and for Mescal, he’s doing it on an epic canvas.
Playing the lead role of Lucius Verus in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II saw him adopt all of the usual practices actors go through when they board such a massive project. He bulked up, did stunt training, and worked in front of a greenscreen, which are all things he’s admitted he’d rather not make a habit of doing.
At the moment, Mescal considers himself strictly an actor, and he’s a very good one. However, should Gladiator II live up to expectations and match its ‘Best Picture’-winning predecessor that rejuvenated the sword-and-sandals epic, rocketed Russell Crowe straight towards the top of the A-list, and made a killing at the box office, then he won’t be able to run away from the fact he’ll be a movie star.
“I don’t know what the difference will be,” he said to Sunday Times of the uncertainty set to follow Gladiator II should it be a major hit. “Maybe that’s naive. Is it just that more people will stop you in the street? I’d get profoundly depressed if that’s so and hope it isn’t true. I’ll have an answer next year, but if it impacts my life in that way, I’ll be in a bad spot.”
The easiest way to avoid it would be to not star in Gladiator II. Obviously, that’s much easier said than done when a director of Scott’s calibre offers the lead role in an inordinately costly sequel without even having to audition for the part, especially one that carries the opportunity to work with Denzel Washington.
It would be rude to say that when the movie lands and Mescal inevitably becomes an even hotter commodity than he is now, it’ll be entirely his own fault. That being said, regardless of whether or not he spends the rest of his career avoiding blockbusters and franchises like the plague, being an Oscar-nominated actor and the focal point of what’s almost certainly going to be a box office goldmine at the age of 28 years old means that he’s going to be a movie star whether he wants to or not.
