PAUL MESCAL 1996 Maynooth, Ireland

Mescal made his feature film debut with a supporting role in The Lost Daughter, directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal in her directorial debut.[37] Released in 2021, the psychological drama garnered favourable reviews.[38][39] The following year, Mescal starred as a man accused of sexual assault in the psychological drama God's Creatures and as a troubled young father in the drama Aftersun, both of which premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. The two films received positive reviews, with Mescal's performances gaining praise.[40][41] IndieWire critic Kate Erbland found Mescal's work in God's Creatures "powerful" and "quietly chilling".[42] Reviewing Aftersun, Peter Travers of ABC News highlighted his "disarming charm and elemental power" in his portrayal of a "complex role".[43] He received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for the latter.[44][45] Mescal starred in Carmen, which premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and was theatrically released in 2023.[46] IndieWire's David Ehrlich stated that Mescal asserts his "gravitas" and "poise" in his role as a veteran of the US military.[47] Mescal began portraying Stanley Kowalski in a revival of the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams at the Almeida Theatre in December 2022. The production garnered acclaim and transferred to the West End in March 2023.[48][49] The Times's Dominic Maxwell found him "tremendous" and opined that he "makes the latent violence of Stanley Kowalski into something easy, tangible, vibrant yet unactorly".[50] Mescal won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for the portrayal.[51] In 2023, Mescal starred alongside Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers, a loose adaptation of the novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada.[52] It premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival.[53] The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney commended the "warm, sexy chemistry" between Mescal and Scott.[54] For his role, Mescal received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.[55] He also starred opposite Saoirse Ronan in Foe, an adaptation of Iain Reid's science fiction novel of the same name;[56] the film was not well-received by critics.[57][58] In 2024, Mescal was honoured by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures with the Vantage Award, for emerging artists.[59] Mescal will next star in Gladiator II, Ridley Scott's sequel to the 2000 historical drama,[60] and in The History of Sound, a romantic drama opposite Josh O'Connor.[61] He replaced Blake Jenner in the lead role of composer Franklin Shepard in Richard Linklater's Merrily We Roll Along, a film adaptation of the 1981 musical of the same name, which is set to be filmed over 20 years.[62] Personal life Mescal speaks English and Irish.[63][64] He moved from his native Ireland to London in 2020.[65] Mescal stated in 2022 that he had purchased a property in Ireland, with the intention of spending time there when he is not working. He is open about seeing a therapist, which he says is "to keep sane".[66] Mescal has said that "the entitlement to the information that people expect" angers him and that private matters "should never be commented on" because it is "indecent" as well as "unkind".[67] Mescal was in a relationship with singer Phoebe Bridgers.[67][68] He appeared in Bridgers' music video for the song "Savior Complex", directed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.[69] Mescal plays the piano,[13] and has performed covers of songs with his sister, singer Nell Mescal.[70] Mescal has also provided background vocals on Bridgers' song "So Much Wine", with its proceeds going to the Los Angeles LGBT Center.[71] In July 2020, he performed spoken word and sang with singer Dermot Kennedy at the Natural History Museum, London.[72] He participated in a virtual stage reading of the play This Is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan as part of a series to benefit the Actors Fund of America charity in October of the same year.