---
name: "Paul Mescal"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/paul-mescal"
fi1m_id: "paul-mescal"
imdb_id: "nm8958770"
tmdb_id: 2326151
wikidata_id: "Q73367368"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "2 February 1996"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 7
average_fi1m_score: 77
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 7
updated: "2026-10-03T02:25:49.756789+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Paul Mescal

## Identity

Paul Mescal

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/paul-mescal
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** paul-mescal
- **IMDb ID:** nm8958770
- **TMDB ID:** 2326151
- **Wikidata ID:** Q73367368
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Mescal, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q73367368, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8958770/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2326151

Actor. Born 2 February 1996 in Maynooth, County Kildare, Republic of Ireland.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 2 February 1996, Maynooth, County Kildare, Republic of Ireland
- **Active:** 2020–present
- **Frequently works with:** [Jessie Buckley](https://film.one/person/jessie-buckley.md)
- **BAFTA Television Awards:** 1 BAFTA (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 77, as actor, over 7 titles
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 77 to 77 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 6 of 7 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 7, Romance 3, Action 1, Adventure 1, Fantasy 1, Music 1
- **Screen time:** 12 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $597m across 6 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Mescal, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q73367368, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8958770/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2326151

## Coming up

- *The Beatles: George* (2028-04-05), as Paul McCartney
- *The Beatles: Ringo* (2028-04-05), as Paul McCartney
- *The Beatles: Paul* (2028-04-05), as Paul McCartney
- *The Beatles: John* (2028-04-05), as Paul McCartney

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*The Lost Daughter*](https://film.one/film/the-lost-daughter.md) (84), [*Hamnet*](https://film.one/film/hamnet.md) (76)
- **Disney+:** [*Normal People*](https://film.one/tv/normal-people.md) (84), [*All of Us Strangers*](https://film.one/film/all-of-us-strangers.md) (82)
- **Apple TV:** [*Gladiator II*](https://film.one/film/gladiator-ii.md) (64), [*The History of Sound*](https://film.one/film/the-history-of-sound.md) (62)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Paul Mescal

> Paul Mescal is best when he says nothing. He plays young men who cannot get the words out, and in a small room with one other person he is as good as anyone of his age. Put him in an arena and he shrinks.

Watch what Connell Waldron's shoulders do in *Normal People* (2020). They are up round his ears in the school corridor and down in Marianne's bedroom. Mescal has the gift of looking like he is thinking when he has no line, and Daisy Edgar-Jones matched him. The scene in which he asks her to tell nobody about them, and she agrees, and the two of them stand there pretending this is fine, left us hot with embarrassment on both their behalves. Neither actor raised a voice. That is the whole method, and it was there from the start.

The career since has widened out from there. After Connell came a supporting part in *The Lost Daughter* (2021) and the lead in Charlotte Wells's *Aftersun* (2022), a troubled father, the film most people mean when they call him a serious actor, though we have not reviewed it. Then *All of Us Strangers* (2023) for Andrew Haigh, a stage *A Streetcar Named Desire*, and the move to scale: Ridley Scott's *Gladiator II* (2024), Chloé Zhao's *Hamnet* (2025) and *The History of Sound* (2025).

What he does well is the loneliness under the charm. In *All of Us Strangers* Harry is Andrew Scott's neighbour, and the early scenes between the two men are slow and honest about how people who have been alone a long time get used to being touched. Harry is written thinner than the parents, and we learn about his life in a handful of lines. Most critics did not notice the gap. We did, and we still thought he was good.

The big films have not yet found a use for him. *Gladiator II* hands Lucius a dead wife, a grudge and a secret and mistakes those for a person; Mescal scowls and fights well and is never allowed to want anything except the next man's death. Some reviewers decided he lacked the presence for a blockbuster lead; we think the script gave him nothing to be present about, and Denzel Washington, who was given plenty, walked off with the film. In *Hamnet* Zhao keeps his Will quiet, hesitant and at the edge of the frame, and not a line sounds like the man who wrote the plays. We think that was deliberate and we are not sure it was wise. He weeps well. The film asks him to do it for an hour.

He knows the sad-young-man reputation is there, and has said of it, "I don't know if I'm finished with that yet, but I might be finished with that?" He tried once, in armour, and it did not suit. What we would like next is a script that trusts him with words as well as silences, and a director who leaves him in the middle of the picture. Until then, the bedroom scenes remain the ones to watch.

## Biography

Paul Mescal is an Irish actor. He was born on 2 February 1996 in Maynooth, County Kildare. He studied acting at The Lir Academy and performed in plays in Dublin theatres.

Mescal's breakthrough came with the leading role of Connell Waldron in the BBC/Hulu miniseries *Normal People* (2020). He made his film debut in *The Lost Daughter* (2021) and appeared as Calum in *Aftersun* (2022), Harry in *All of Us Strangers* (2023), Lucius in *Gladiator II* (2024) and Will in *Hamnet* (2025).

On stage, he portrayed Stanley Kowalski in a West End revival of *A Streetcar Named Desire* (2022). His accolades include two BAFTA Awards and a Laurence Olivier Award, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com, biography.com.*

## On Fi1m (7)

- *Hamnet* (2025), Fi1m 76, as Will — [page](https://film.one/film/hamnet.md)
- *The History of Sound* (2025), Fi1m 62, as Lionel Worthing — [page](https://film.one/film/the-history-of-sound.md)
- *Gladiator II* (2024), Fi1m 64, as Lucius — [page](https://film.one/film/gladiator-ii.md)
- *All of Us Strangers* (2023), Fi1m 82, as Harry — [page](https://film.one/film/all-of-us-strangers.md)
- *Aftersun* (2022), Fi1m 85, as Calum — [page](https://film.one/film/aftersun.md)
- *The Lost Daughter* (2021), Fi1m 84, as Will — [page](https://film.one/film/the-lost-daughter.md)
- *Normal People* (2020), Fi1m 84, as Connell Waldron — [page](https://film.one/tv/normal-people.md)

## Complete filmography (20)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Beatles: George* (2028), as Paul McCartney
- *The Beatles: Ringo* (2028), as Paul McCartney
- *The Beatles: Paul* (2028), as Paul McCartney
- *The Beatles: John* (2028), as Paul McCartney
- *Hamnet* (2025), as Will — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/hamnet.md)
- *The History of Sound* (2025), as Lionel Worthing · Executive Producer — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/the-history-of-sound.md)
- *Gladiator II* (2024), as Lucius — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/gladiator-ii.md)
- *All of Us Strangers* (2023), as Harry — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/all-of-us-strangers.md)
- *Foe* (2023), as Junior
- *Carmen* (2023), as Aidan
- *Aftersun* (2022), as Calum — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/aftersun.md)
- *God's Creatures* (2022), as Brian O'Hara
- *The Lost Daughter* (2021), as Will — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-lost-daughter.md)
- *This Is Our Youth* (2020), as Dennis Ziegler
- *The Deceived* (2020), series, as Sean
- *Drifting* (2020), as Cian
- *Normal People* (2020), series, as Connell Waldron — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/normal-people.md)
- *A Spy by Nature*, as Alec Milius
- *Merrily We Roll Along*, as Franklin Shepard
- *Hold On to Your Angels*, Actor

## Gallery

- ![Paul Mescal](https://film.one/media/person/401/gallery-a2044092488f.jpg) Paul Mescal — Jay Dixit, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Paul_Mescal_at_the_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_in_2025_2_%28cropped_2%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Paul Mescal, Dakota Johnson, and Maggie Gyllenhaal at the screening of The Lost Daughter at the 44th Mill Valley Film Festival on 16th October 2021.](https://film.one/media/person/401/gallery-0729590fe4a3.jpg) Paul Mescal, Dakota Johnson, and Maggie Gyllenhaal at the screening of The Lost Daughter at the 44th Mill Valley Film Festival on 16th October 2021. — Dana L. Brown from Lucas Valley, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/%27The_Lost_Daughter%27_screening_at_44.MVFF.jpg/1280px-%27The_Lost_Daughter%27_screening_at_44.MVFF.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Paul Mescal, Dakota Johnson, and Maggie Gyllenhaal at the screening of The Lost Daughter at the 44th Mill Valley Film Festival on 16th October 2021.](https://film.one/media/person/401/gallery-e4b07a054b60.jpg) Paul Mescal, Dakota Johnson, and Maggie Gyllenhaal at the screening of The Lost Daughter at the 44th Mill Valley Film Festival on 16th October 2021. — Dana L. Brown from Lucas Valley, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/%27The_Lost_Daughter%27_screening_at_44.MVFF_2.jpg/1280px-%27The_Lost_Daughter%27_screening_at_44.MVFF_2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Q&A panel for God's Creatures at the 2022 Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Director's Fortnight), Cannes](https://film.one/media/person/401/gallery-95ed939dea1b.png) Q&A panel for God's Creatures at the 2022 Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Director's Fortnight), Cannes — Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Gods_creatures_cannes_2022_1.png/1280px-Gods_creatures_cannes_2022_1.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Paul Mescal](https://film.one/media/person/401/gallery-c4f77bef94c1.jpg) Paul Mescal — Image via TMDB
- ![Paul Mescal](https://film.one/media/person/401/gallery-4d35c3e7cc86.jpg) Paul Mescal — Image via TMDB
- ![Paul Mescal](https://film.one/media/person/401/gallery-37027ba80751.jpg) Paul Mescal — Image via TMDB
- ![HamnetBFILFF111025-20 (2025)](https://film.one/media/person/401/gallery-19cdaafc6655.jpg) HamnetBFILFF111025-20 (2025) — Raph_PH, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/HamnetBFILFF111025-20_%2854852202114%29.jpg/1280px-HamnetBFILFF111025-20_%2854852202114%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![HamnetBFILFF111025-20 (2025)](https://film.one/media/person/401/gallery-c0e0822edc8d.jpg) HamnetBFILFF111025-20 (2025) — Raph_PH, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/HamnetBFILFF111025-20_%2854852202114%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-HamnetBFILFF111025-20_%2854852202114%29_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Paul Mescal](https://film.one/media/person/401/gallery-ef59eeb6b9f4.jpg) Paul Mescal — Image via TMDB
- ![Paul Mescal](https://film.one/media/person/401/gallery-9990bd71f60b.jpg) Paul Mescal — Image via TMDB
- ![Paul Mescal](https://film.one/media/person/401/gallery-4030a66c4b16.jpg) Paul Mescal — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 2023: Best Actor (nominated), for *Aftersun*

### BAFTA Television Awards — 1 won

- 2021: Best Actor (won), for *Normal People*

### Other awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- European Film Award for Best Actor 2022: European Film Award for Best Actor (nominated), for *Aftersun*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/paul-mescal