Paul Mescal (born 2 February 1996) is an Irish actor from Maynooth, County Kildare. He broke out with his role as Connell Waldron in the miniseries Normal People, which won him a BAFTA and earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He then went on to earn his first Academy Award nomination for his performance in the film Aftersun.
He was a GAA footballer as a teenager, studied at the Lir Academy, and began his career in the Dublin theatre scene. He won an Olivier Award in 2023 for his performance in the West End production of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Filmography
- Normal People (2020): Connell Waldron
- The Lost Daughter (2021): Will
- Aftersun (2022): Calum
- Gods Creatures (2022): Brian O'Hara
- Foe (2023): Junior
- All of Us Strangers (2023): Harry
Tropes associated with his work:
- Celebrity Is Overrated: After his relationship with singer Phoebe Bridgers came to an end in late 2022, he spoke up about how uncomfortable he was with the social media frenzy and lack of privacy around his personal life.
- Commonality Connection: He has a "Tortured Man Club" group chat formed by Andrew Scott with fellow Sally Rooney lead Joe Alwyn.
- Fake Scot: His Aftersun character Calum is from Edinburgh.
- Hollywood Hype Machine: He earned an Emmy nomination and a BAFTA for his debut role in Normal People. Less than three years later, he earned an Academy Award nomination for his first lead film role in Aftersun, and won an Olivier that same year for A Streetcar Named Desire. Mescal very quickly became one of the most in-demand young actors with a surplus of projects lined up (some of which have been delayed for scheduling reasons).
- Mr. Fanservice: He did several nude scenes for Normal People. Fans took note of the chain Connell wears around his neck, which ended up getting a dedicated Instagram account with a sizable following.
- Star-Making Role: His debut role in Normal People, if the accolades and rapid increase in social media followers are anything to go by.
