Irish actor Paul Mescal rose to fame by starring as Connell Waldron in BBC Three’s romantic psychological drama mini-series Normal People opposite Daisy Edgar Jones. The actor’s performance was highly lauded in the mini-series as he not only earned a BAFTA TV Award but also a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Mescal also starred in a supporting role in The Lost Daughter followed by his critically acclaimed performances in God’s Creatures and Aftersun. Paul Mescal’s portrayal of a troubled father in Aftersun alongside young actress Frankie Corio earned him his Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The movie was named one of the best movies in 2022 by the National Board of Review, which also contributed to Paul Mescal’s success. The actor has been one of the top contenders for the role of James Bond and he shared his thoughts on the same.
Paul Mescal shares his views on playing James Bond on-screen
Back in 2020, during a conversation with Digital Spy, Paul Mescal who was also one of the contenders in the poll conducted by the publication for the audience to pick the next James Bond shared his views on portraying the character.
The poll was conducted after it was announced that Daniel Craig would be bidding adieu to the role and franchise after No Time to Die. Henry Cavill topped the poll but Mescal was however asked if he gets asked about being the next James Bond to which he said,
“No, I don’t actually. I’m a huge Bond fan. I think it’s an incredible franchise. But it feels very, very far away from current circumstances. It’s petty cool that I was on the Digital Spy list.”
Upon asking if he’d accept the part if it came to him, Paul Mescal shared,
“Would I play Bond? Yeah? I don’t know. If it ever came my way, we’d have a discussion about it. I don’t know. I don’t want to say yes or no. I am a massive fan and will continue to be regardless.”
During an interview with Ray D’Arcy’s radio show via Digital Spy, Paul Mescal once again addressed the rumors of him being the next 007 agent and stated that there are rumors to be associated with but in honesty, he hasn’t heard from anyone from the James Bond world.
Mescal’s co-star Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers mentioned at the premiere of the movie in December via Variety;
“He’d probably be a great James Bond. I want to see him in Gladiator first. It’s gonna be incredible. It’s so exciting. I’ve seen some images that are going to delight the world over.”
Actors Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill, Idris Elba, Regé-Jean Page, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are also the actors who are rumored to be top contenders for portraying the character on-screen.
Paul Mescal talks about working with Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers
During an interview with British Vogue, Paul Mescal was asked about working with Fleabag fame Andrew Scott to which he shared that they knew each other a little bit before they worked on the movie. Mescal added,
“We became very close because of the nature of this project—not just because of the s*x scenes, but because of the emotional intimacy that these two characters share. That was just the perfect climate to fall in love with Andrew as a human being. It’s a very easy thing to do.”
Directed by Andrew Haigh, All of Us Strangers is a British romantic fantasy movie based on the novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada. The movie upon its release has received positive reviews from the audience and the critics with special mention for the performances of the actors. Talking about the intimate scenes in the movie, Mescal added,
“We had an intimacy coordinator and I think they’re so vital. I have been lucky that in the time that I’ve been working in the industry, I haven’t done a film without an intimacy coordinator. I’ve been lucky that with every scene partner I’ve had to do these types of intimate scenes with, there has been chemistry but also a physical understanding and trust.”
Paul Mescal however adds that the blind panic has dissipated slightly which is good mentioning that it never goes away because they film such scenes with a lot of people around. In the end, it’s about the person they are opposite with and have to deliver the writing to which he says is something that one cannot fake. Paul concludes that it is dependent on human connection.
All of Us Strangers is streaming on Hulu.
