Paul Mescal Is Obsessed With Anthony Hopkins (and We Can't Blame Him)
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If you have been on the internet at all since 2020, you must recognize Normal People's Paul Mescal.
The Irish actor burst onto the scene mid-pandemic as one of the steamy, mostly naked, ill-fated pair at the center of Normal People, the Hulu series based on a Sally Rooney novel. He became an overnight success, snatching up roles in films and even getting a whole genre of jewelry, the Connell chain, named after his character.
Now he's back this fall on your screens in God's Creatures, a a haunting Irish drama about a mother and son wreaking havoc on a small coastal town.
In God's Creatures (which is available on demand), Mescal plays Brian O'Hara, a wayward son who returns home to his family after a long absence claiming he'd like a fresh start. While most of the town is wary of Brian, his mother Aileen (played by the incredible Emily Watson) decides to give him a second chance. As the pair try to relaunch Brian's career as an oyster harvester, however, Aileen slowly realizes that perhaps Brian isn't as changed as he's letting on.
When Mescal got the script for God's Creatures, he told me, "It felt pretty immediate to me that I wanted to make it as soon as possible. I think I was interested in the kind of inter-gender politics of the film...plus it’s always fun to play a character who is the antithesis of who you are."
And God's Creatures isn't Mescal's only film hitting theaters this fall as his father/daughter drama, Aftersun, premieres October 21 in the US.
The pairing of dynamic, juxtaposed roles proves that Mescal is a Hollywood force that will be sticking around for the long haul.
On the eve of God's Creature's release, I chatted with Paul about all of his favorite movies.
We discussed how he prepared for the role of Brian, the Irish films he loves, and all the movies that bounce around in his head. (Bet you didn't know that he was a massive Anthony Hopkins fan.)
Here's my conversation with Paul about all things movies:
1.Matthew Huff: What movies did you watch to help you prepare for the role?
Paul Mescal: “We talked a lot about You Were Never Really Here, the Lynne Ramsay film."
PM: "And The Master. Both have Joaquin’s internalized, brutal physicality. I feel like he plays repression so well. They were kind of references. Obviously, the films are very different, but especially with those two performances, there was a lot to draw on.”
2.MH: God's Creatures is a very Irish film. What are your other favorite Irish films?
PM: “Garage is probably my favorite. I think it was Lenny Abrahamson's first feature. That would be my kind of deep-cut go-to Irish film.”
3.MH: You co-star in God's Creatures with Emily Watson. What are some of your favorite performances of hers?
PM: "God's Creatures is definitely up there, which is a testament to her and her work here. Obviously Breaking the Waves. Obvious but phenomenal."
PM: "And then, like, Punch-Drunk Love. I just feel like as an actor, her choices throughout make it so inspiring to be an actor. I don’t think she’s ever missed a step."
4.MH: What kind of movies do you think your character Brian would like?
PM: “I don’t think he goes to the cinema a lot. But I would say like your classic action film. Like Gladiator or Top Gun or something like that.”
5.MH: What's the last great movie you've watched that you weren't a part of making?
PM: “Lukas Dhont’s film, Close.
PM: "I have two. Close, and Banshees of Inisherin. They’re both so different. Close is remarkable. Really devastating and brilliantly directed.”
6.MH: What's a movie you loved and watched often as a kid?
PM: “S.W.A.T. Do you remember that film?”
MH: “No.”
PH: “The film with Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson. Ridiculous action movie. That was kind of my genre as a kid because I wasn’t into acting until kind of later, so it was always those good ole fashioned, shoot-em-up movies.”
7.MH: What's one movie role you would love to play?
PM: “Anthony Hopkin’s character in The Remains of the Day.”
8.MH: If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only watch three movies for the rest of your life, what would they be?
PM: "That would be one. Remains of the Day."
PM: "Blue Valentine."
MH: "This is going to be a sad island."
PM: "It’s gonna be a sad island."
PM: "And I’ll go with A Streetcar Named Desire.”
9.MH: What is something that is coming out that you're excited to watch?
PM: “I think I was lucky to see a lot of stuff on the festival circuit. I’m really excited to see Bardo. I haven’t seen it, and I love Alejandro Inarritu's work. I know it's been kind of divisive, but a lot of people who I trust their taste are obsessed with it. So looking forward to seeing it."
10.MH: What's one movie that you loved and feel like not enough people have seen?
PM: “Son of Saul. Laszlo Nemes’s film. It was nominated for Best Foreign Language Feature [at the Oscars], and I think it is a masterpiece.”
11.MH: What's the last film that made you laugh?
PM: "The Nice Guys. You know the film with Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling?”
12.MH: What's the last movie that made you cry?
PM: “Marriage Story."
13.MH: What's your comfort movie? Something you could curl up with at the end of a bad day.
PM: “Honestly, this is maybe fucked up, but Remains of the Day. There’s something kind of cozy and brilliant about that film. I’ll watch that once or twice a year.”
14.MH: What movie do you quote the most often?
PM: “Not a big quoter, but there are lines in Marriage Story that just break my heart, that I’m like 'whoa.' You know the line when he’s reading the letter at the end? “I [fell in love with] him two seconds after I [saw] him, and I’ll [never stop loving] him, even though it doesn’t make sense anymore.” I’m like kill me.
15.MH: What's a movie you pretend to have watched, but haven't actually seen?
PM: “It’s a Wonderful Life. I’ve like seen half of it, and I’m like 'Yeah I love it.' Maybe I’ve seen it all in bits, but I can’t really remember it.”
PM: “Also Roma. I remember the year it came out and everyone was raving about it, I never got around to seeing it. Yeah. I lied about that one.”
16.MH: Who would you want to play you in a movie?
PM: “I’d love like a young Anthony Hopkins. It would be my favorite thing to ever happen.”
17.MH: If you could invite three actors/directors, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be?
PM: “Anthony Hopkins, Michelle Williams, and Chekov. I feel like that would be a good conversation."
MH: "Have you ever met Anthony Hopkins?"
PM: “No, but a friend of mine is in drama school at Royal Welsh, which is a college Anthony Hopkins is a patron of. They were rehearsing a Chekov play in his first year, and [Hopkins] just walked into the rehearsal room. That’s both the stuff of dreams and nightmares.”
18.MH: What's your favorite movie theater snack?
PM: “The biggest thing of Coke you can carry. Popcorn. Put Maltesers in the popcorn. It’s great. Highly recommend that.”
19.MH: Lastly, what is one movie that made you want to be an actor?
PM: “Blue Valentine was that one for me. I saw it early on in drama school. I just think the acting in it is phenomenal, and I was like 'whoa, these performances really move people,' and I was so inspired by it.”
Watch Paul Mescal's latest film, God's Creatures, now On Demand.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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