Paul Mescal, the revelation of Aftersun: “Suddenly, my life changed…”
Now aged 30, the Irish actor has become essential in Hollywood. Ridley Scott’s Gladiator or Chloé Zhao’s William Shakespeare, while waiting to be Sam Mendes’ Paul McCartney, it all started for him with Aftersun. Interview.
He was discovered on television in the series Normal People. But since then, it is in the cinema that Paul Mescal’s career has exploded.
The Irish actor is one of the most prominent young actors in new Hollywood. A talent placed at the head of many projects, such as Gladiator 2 by Ridley Scott or Sam Mendes’ next giant project on the Beatles, in which he will play Paul McCartney. Richard Linklater has just enlisted him in his new long-term project, Merilly We Roll Along.
And tonight it’s in Aftersun that we will find the 30-year-old actor, on France 4, in this first feature film by Charlotte Wells, noticed at the Cannes Film Festival and which allowed Paul Mescal to hit the big screen for the first time, to the point of winning his first Oscar nomination (the only one at present). At the time, we were able to chat with the superstar in the making. The meeting took place by video in “extreme” conditions, with the actor accepting the challenge of chatting with us backstage at a London theater, before his evening performance. Nice Mescal.
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PREMIERE: A few hours before going on stage? What kind of situation are you in there?
PAUL MESCAL: I like the routine of the theater, arriving early, reading a book, wandering the corridors trying to clear my head and therefore calm my nerves. As I speak to you, I hear my partners rehearsing on stage. It’s stimulating. I feel like a boxer who is about to see people moving around him. The game is very physical, you have to take possession of the space…
You play the hero ofA tram called desire, the cult play by Tennessee Williams, a role immortalized in the cinema by Marlon Brando. The reference is not too heavy to carry?
I did not consider it necessary to watch Elia Kazan’s film again to prepare for the play. Brando remains an insurmountable reference and I’m not sure that an actor should shape his acting from there. When I was studying drama, my teacher showed us A Streetcar Named Desire with Brando. I rushed to see him again to try to understand how he managed to develop so much intensity. Now it’s up to me to find my own way to achieve this…
Brando is known for his very intense playing, digging deep within himself…
I understand that some people need that, but working excessively is not my nature. I think I have a more impressionistic approach. In everything I have done so far, I have tried to express the complexity of the character without necessarily externalizing everything. No superego. I like things to come through looks, gestures… On the other hand, I am ready to give everything if a filmmaker demands an electric composition from me. An actor serves a vision…
In Aftersun by Charlotte Wells you game is very internalized. It all depends on the secret fragility of your character…
Charlotte’s writing is very sensitive. I was immediately won over. When I read the script, I said to myself: “ This is a film that I want to see whether I’m in it or not! » I like things, starting with feelings, to be largely suggested. It is always emotion that must take precedence. Emotion and its mysteries. It’s ultimately quite intangible. It’s then up to the viewer to get in tune with the characters to understand what they feel. It was a challenge to become Calum (name of his character in the film) I have sympathy for him. Many men suffer in silence.
Charlotte Wells is a young director. Was the collaboration easy?
As soon as I read the script, I wanted to meet her. We are the same age, the same sensitivity. We understood each other straight away. Aftersun is his first film, I didn’t have much experience either. It was very reassuring for both of us to work together.
When did you first want to become an actor?
The first time I went on stage was in college, to play music… I didn’t want to come down again. The idea of becoming an actor came later. I took drama lessons for three years, tried to find a place in the theater and suddenly, a casting, a role, a success, things open up in a big way… You are never prepared for all that…
This success is of course the series Normal Peoplethree years ago…
… Suddenly my life changed… It’s dizzying…
How do you explain the success of this series?
I think the audience liked the sincerity of the characters and this way of staying as close as possible to them. If you look closely, there is nothing extraordinary: no incredible adventures, nor a multitude of characters, just two beings who evolve side by side…
Your first experience at the cinema for the film, The Lost Daughter by Maggie Gyllenhaal, what was it like?
First day of filming, I found myself on a beach with Olivia Colman! I was hallucinating. The rest of the cast was incredible. I honestly wondered what was happening to me. What’s the fuck is going on?
As a viewer, which films have had an impact on you recently?
Vortex by Gaspar Noé. I like the way he gets as close to human as possible. Overall, it’s not so much the story of a film that interests me as the vibration that emanates from the beings on the screen.
Aftersun by Charlotte Wells. With: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, Celia Rowlson-Hall… Condor Distribution/ MUBI. Duration: 1h42.
