It’s only Monday, but Paul Mescal is showing pit on main.
The Irish actor bathed in a dirty lake and spread his biceps for a new Rolling Stone cover story, which got Gay Twitter X all hot and bothered and talkative this morning.
To be fair, the unofficial King of Short Shorts is never far from the top of mind. But it’s an especially busy season for the 29-year-old, who stars alongside Josh O’Connor in the now-showing gay historical romance The History of Sound, and is receiving Oscar buzz for his portrayal of Shakespeare in the upcoming Hamnet.
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Of course, it helps that the actor, who will portray Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles biopics, is not just a certified hunk but extremely sensitive as well.
In the article, Mescal admitted to embodying his History of Sound character so much that he “yearned for [co-star Josh O’Connor’s] presence” when he left the set.
His words for Andrew Scott, whose love interest he portrayed in 2023’s All of Us Strangers, were even more glowing.
“If God was a real person, I think he would be something like [him],” he told Rolling Stone. Honestly, we agree.
Mescal’s breakout role came in 2020’s Normal People, a slow-burning romantic limited series where his character Connell stripped down for the viewers, both emotionally and physically.
And while the actor acknowledged he’s developed a penchant for these types of dramatic roles, Scott told Rolling Stone that he thinks it’s more of a “soulfulness” than “sadness” that attracts viewers to Mescal.
“I think that’s what people can detect in him,” Scott explained. “He’s got a really deep, beautiful soul, and so of course he’s going to be attracted to things that have deep, deep soul in them.”
Aww!
That said, Mescal admitted some of his personal demons inspired his performances, particularly in History of Sound, where his character Lionel’s relationship with David (O’Connor) is essentially a non-starter against the backdrop of rural Maine in the summer of 1920.
“I don’t think I was generally in a great spot psychologically last year, and I found it useful to be on my own for that — and also for the films themselves,” he said, calling it “kind of a happy accident.”
Still, the actor (who’s romantically attached to singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams) acknowledged that type of method acting “has got a sell-by date in terms of being sustainable.”
“I didn’t want it to be there when it was happening, but now that it’s done, I’m glad that I didn’t have to reach for certain things,” he explained.
Nevertheless, it’s not all doom-and-gloom, and Mescal “[thanked] f*ck for therapy.”
In fact, being in touch with his emotions has been the secret ingredient to portraying the types of roles he’s most attracted to: characters like “the men that I love in my life [who] often have this quality of being latently emotional but find the expression of that difficult.”
Still, Mescal’s favorite emotional outlet is even more surprising — and might make you love him even more.
“I love Sondheim more than I love musical theater,” he admitted.
A man after our own hearts!
Check out some of the thirstiest reactions to Mescal’s pit pics below.
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