Paul Mescal Biography
Paul Mescal is an Irish actor who gained prominence for his performance in Normal People in 2020. His performance in the miniseries won him a BAFTA TV Award and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Before kickstarting his acting career, he worked as a member of Maynooth Football Club and was an under-21 Gaelic footballer for County Kildare.
Paul Mescal Age
Mescal was born Paul Colm Michael Mescal on February 2, 1996, in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. He is 28 years old as of 2024. Mescal celebrates his birthday on February 2nd.
Paul Mescal Height
Mescal stands at an approximate height of 5 feet and 11 inches.
Paul Mescal Family
Mescal was born to Dearbhla and Paul Mescal in Maynooth, County Kildare. Dearbhla worked for the national police and security service of Ireland(Garda Síochána) while Paul worked as a schoolteacher and a semi-professional actor. The eldest of three children, he has a younger sister named Nell and a younger brother named Donnacha.
Nell works as a singer and a songwriter. She was born on April 28, 2003, and is 21 years old as of 2024. Bullied at school, she was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 14. As a result, she underwent back surgery, leading her to refine her music skills.
At 17, Nell lived in Brighton for three months, kickstarting her career. In early October 2021, she left school and moved to London in pursuit of a full-time music career. She is signed under Q Prime Management.
Nell has performed cover songs with Mescal who can also play the piano. During her singing career, she has singles such as Crash, Deja Vu, Swingsets, Missing You, Graduating, Homesick, In My Head, Punchline, Teeth, Killing Time, Warm Body, and Yellow Dresser. Additionally, she received an EP titled Can I Miss It for a Minute? in 2024.
Paul Mescal Girlfriend
Mescal is very private about his personal life therefore it is not confirmed if he is in any relationship. He has commented that he is uncomfortable with letting people into his personal life and that fans shouldn’t feel privileged to get information about his personal life. Moreover, he said that he wants his life private since he gets so little privacy.
Mescal can speak both Irish and English. In 2022, he shared that he had purchased a property in Ireland, intending to spend his free time there. He relocated to London from Ireland in 2020. He is unguarded towards seeing a therapist, stating that it helps to stay sane.
Relationships/EX(Phoebe Bridgers)
Mescal was previously in a 2-year relationship with American singer, Phoebe Bridgers, that ended in December 2022. He was featured in her music video for “Savior Complex.” Additionally, he provided background vocals on her song, “So Much Wine,” donating its proceeds to the Los Angeles LGBT Center. After their split, Mrscal commented that he would keep his personal life private since people knowing about his life doesn’t help him.
Paul Mescal and Gracie Abrams
There are rumors that suggest Mescal and Abrams are in a relationship. They have been romantically linked since they were spotted out together in London in June 2024. Ever since they have been seen walking through London and New York City streets on dates. According to people.com, a source told them in August 2024 that the pair were hooking up.
Paul Mescal Net Worth
Mescal has an estimated net worth of between $1 Million-$5 Million which he has earned through his successful career as an actor.
Paul Mescal Education
Mescal studied at Maynooth Post Primary School and joined Trinity College’s Lir Academy in Dublin. In 2017, he graduated with a Bachelor Of Arts degree in Acting.
Paul Mescal Normal People
Mescal gained his first TV role in the drama miniseries, Normal People, starring as the student Connell Waldron. Normal People follows the relationship dynamic between Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron in secondary school in County Sligo on Ireland’s Atlantic coast, and later as undergraduate students at Trinity College Dublin.
Just like him, Connell plays Gaelic football and attends Trinity College. Despite this, he regarded Connell as different from himself due to the character’s emotional unavailability and hesitance traits. This role launched him to fame, winning several awards including a BAFTA TV Award and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries.
Paul Mescal Daisy Edgar-Jones
Mescal and Daisy are actors who co-starred in Normal People as love interests, Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron.
Paul Mescal Gladiator II
He is scheduled to star in Gladiator II, a role he gained after Ridley Scott watched his performance in Normal People. While preparing for his role, he practiced horse training, strength training, and fight choreography as well as sword fighting for 6 months.
In the film, Mescal will portray Lucius Verus. Lucius is the former heir to the Roman Empire and the son of Maximus. He alongside his wife and child reside in Numidia, a coastal town. However, things take a sour turn when the Roman army led by General Marcus Acacius takes him as a prisoner after invading his home and killing his wife.
Lucius is forced into slavery and forced to fight as a gladiator. Drawing inspiration from Maximus, he is determined to fight as a gladiator and follows the teaching of Macrinus, a former slave plotting to collapse the young emperors, Caracalla and Geta.
Paul Mescal Nude
According to cosmopolitan.com, Mescal revealed that being fully nude on TV makes him slightly nervous. He also said that he and Daisy Edgar-Jones eased into the sex scenes with the assistance of intimacy director Ita O’Brien. He found O’Brien’s commentary on what was appropriate freeing since neither he nor Daisy was responsible for it.
Mescal also said that being nude in Normal People doesn’t concern him since it was his decision to participate in the project. Despite this, he expressed that he gets slightly nervous with people see him fully nude on screen.
Paul Mescal Gay
Mescal is straight and not gay. Rumors of him being gay started after he played gay roles in the films, The History of Sound and All of Us Strangers. He commented that he isn’t fond of the idea that his sexuality should determine the kinds of roles he gets. Moreover, he expressed that he gets frustrated when he’s asked questions about his sexuality when it bears no relevance to a project.
Paul Mescal Career
Before kickstarting his acting career, Mescal served as an under-21 Gaelic footballer for County Kildare and a member of the Maynooth GAA club. Gaelic’s Brian Lacey praised his defending skills while physical trainer Cian O’Neill said that he was developed and very strong. However, he left the sport due to a jaw injury.
Theatre
At the age of 16, Mescal has his stage performance starring as Phantom in the musical The Phantom of the Opera. Next, he auditioned and was admitted to Trinity College’s Lir Academy in Dublin. Before graduating college, he had gained agents for his acting career.
Following his graduation from college, Mescak received two offers in the theatre productions of Angela’s Ashes and The Great Gatsby. He accepted the offer for The Great Gatsby, playing the titular role of Jay Gatsby at the Gate Theatre in Dublin.
Mescal played the role of the Prince in a retelling of retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. He also appeared in the world premiere of Louise O’Neill’s Asking for It at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 2018. That same year, he debuted on the London stage in The Plough and the Stars at the Lyric Hammersmith.
During the Kilkenny Arts Festival, he appeared in the Rough Magic Theatre Company’s productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Additionally, he appeared in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man for the Dublin Theatre Festival. He performed in The Lieutenant of Inishmore at Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre in 2020.
TV
Mescal gained his first TV role in the drama miniseries, Normal People, starring as the student Connell Waldron. Just like him, Connell plays Gaelic football and attends Trinity College. This role launched him to fame, winning several awards. Next, he starred in Drifting and in Channel 5’s The Deceived.
Mescal also appeared in the music video of The Rolling Stones’ Scarlet. He debuted his feature film career playing a supporting role in The Lost Daughter in 2021. In 2021, he portrayed a man accused of sexual assault in God’s Creatures and a distressed young father in Aftersun.
2021 to present;
Mescal starred as a US military veteran in Carmen and Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams’ revival play, A Streetcar Named Desire at the Almeida Theatre in December 2022. After the play received praise, it transferred to the West End in March 2023. His performance in the play won him the Laurence Olivier Best Actor Award.
In 2023, Mescal starred in All of Us Strangers opposite Andrew Scott. His performance in the film won him a BAFTA Best Actor in a Supporting Role Award nomination. Moreover, he alongside Saoirse Ronan starred in Foe.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures granted Mescal its Vantage Emerging Artists Award in 2024. He is scheduled to star in Gladiator II, a role he gained after Ridley Scott watched his performance in Normal People. He is also slated to appear in The History of Sound opposite Josh O’Connor and portray William Shakespeare in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet. Mescal replaced Blake Jenner in the leading role of composer Franklin Shepard in Richard Linklater’s Merrily We Roll Along, set to be filmed over 20 years.
Paul Mescal Movies and TV Shows
Mescal has starred in several movies and TV shows during his career such as
- The Lost Daughter
- God’s Creatures
- The Deceived
- Foe
- Aftersun
- Carmen
- All of Us Strangers