Paul Mescal names his favourite movies of all time
Every decade or so, the film industry will produce another crop of talent to join the veteran actors who inspired them to join showbiz in the first place. No doubt, the Irish actor Paul Mescal is one of these rising stars, having enjoyed a storming run of success in the film and TV industry ever since his debut role in the hit BBC series Normal People, based on the book by Sally Rooney.
After several successful turns on stage, Mescal’s role in Normal People would almost instantly propel him to industry success, starring beside Daisy Edgar-Jones in the stirring emotional drama that followed two young lovers from different backgrounds who weave in and out of each other’s lives. Winning a BAFTA TV award for Best Leading Actor for his portrayal, Mescal followed the series up with a starring role in the music video for the Phoebe Bridgers song ‘Savior Complex’, later sparking a relationship with the singer.
Success has simply followed Mescal ever since, appearing in the three-time Oscar-nominated Maggie Gyllenhaal movie The Lost Daughter alongside Olivia Colman, as well as Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer’s God’s Creatures in 2022. Still, his greatest achievement coincided with the cinematic debut of filmmaker Charlotte Wells, where he took a starring role in Aftersun, a contemporary masterpiece about youthful regret amid the ebb and flow of time.
Already described as one of the best films of modern cinema, Wells’ debut is tipped for awards success at the 2023 BAFTAs, with Mescal’s charming lead performance being a key element of the movie’s power.
Having gained a considerable following since his rise to fame, Mescal sat down with Letterboxd in 2022 to discuss some of his all-time favourite movies, picking out a selection of films that largely contain a strong emotional core. This is apart from Martin Scorsese’s biting character drama The King of Comedy, starring Robert De Niro, which the actor chooses to “lighten” the selection, yet which undoubtedly remains a favourite of the young actor.
As for his three other choices, Mescal next opts for the Derek Cianfrance melancholy romance Blue Valentine, starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. Consistently going back to the film to ‘punish his feelings,’ Mescal rightfully highlights the painful emotional heart at the centre of this drama, which was written by the same Oscar-nominated mind behind such other modern greats as The Place Beyond the Pines and Sound of Metal.
On a similar level, Mescal also names the Oscar-nominated Kenneth Lonergan drama Manchester by the Sea, also starring Michelle Williams. Clearly a lover of painful emotional dramas, Mescal says the film “devastates me,” yet he keeps coming back for the staggering acting performances and compelling tale of regret and love long lost.
Paul Mescal’s favourite movies:
- Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance, 2010)
- The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1982)
- Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan, 2016)
- The Remains of the Day (James Ivory, 1993)
As for the actor’s all-time favourite, Mescal speaks fondly of James Ivory’s 1993 film The Remains of the Day, starring Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Reeve, Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant. Picking out Hopkins as a particular love, he calls the British acting veteran “one of my favourite actors” and praises the film for its classical
