Paul Mescal’s favourite Irish movie
For many, the first Covid-19 lockdown was spent binge-watching television shows, such as Normal People, released on BBC iPlayer in April 2020. The show allowed BBC Three to receive the highest amount of viewing figures on the streaming platform than ever before, becoming the BBC’s most successful show of the year.
Normal People introduced the world to Paul Mescal, who had only starred in theatre productions until this point. His starring role in the miniseries, adapted from Sally Rooney’s book of the same name, came just three years after graduating from Trinity College Dublin. Mescal quickly proved his acting prowess, earning instant critical acclaim for his performance as the sensitive Connell Waldron, who also attends Trinity College in the series.
The actor received many nominations from prestigious institutions for his role, winning a Bafta Award. From there, Mescal was set on his path towards stardom, and since then, he has found himself nominated for a ‘Best Actor’ Oscar, competing against acting heavyweights such as Colin Farrell and Bill Nighy, eventually losing out to Brendan Fraser.
The nomination was for his leading role in Aftersun, the debut feature from Charlotte Wells, as a depressed father on holiday with his young daughter. Mescal’s film credits are still relatively slim, however, he has received acclaim for every performance, particularly his parts in God’s Creatures and All of Us Strangers.
Despite the fact that Mescal is now being swept up by Hollywood, with a prominent role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 coming in the near future, he ensures that he doesn’t forget his Irish roots. Alongside Normal People, God’s Creatures is also set in Mescal’s home country. Thus, in an interview with Buzzfeed, the actor was prompted to share his favourite Irish movie. He selected Lenny Abrahamson’s Garage, released in 2007.
The film stars Pat Shortt as a man with learning difficulties, with the narrative tracking the development of his confidence as he works in a petrol station. The actor won an Irish Film and Television Award for ‘Best Actor in a Lead Role Film’. Moreover, Abrahamson also took home ‘Best Film Director’. The filmmaker actually worked with Mescal on Normal People, directing six of the episodes. For Mescal, Abrahamson’s movie remains a special favourite. He said: “That would be my kind of deep-cut go-to Irish film.”
At the Dublin Film Festival, Abrahamson discussed his initial impressions of Mescal. “You do know when somebody’s brilliant. Everybody in the office was just blown away by it [his audition tape]. I wasn’t some Svengali who saw a little spark. It really didn’t take a genius.”
He continued, “It’s wonderful how meteoric that transformation is: from Normal People to Aftersun through to Gladiator. It’s amazing.”
