Paul Mescal has said he is hoping for "fun" Oscars afterparties, as "the Irish can show up in that setting".
The 27-year-old actor, who hails from Maynooth in Co Kildare, has been nominated in the Best Actor category at the 95th Academy Awards for his role in the indie coming-of-age film Aftersun.
Mescal told The Hollywood Reporter his nomination was "a big surprise", adding: "I'm hoping that the Oscars afterparties are going to be fun - because I think the Irish can show up in that setting."
In a record year for Irish nominees, Mescal's fellow actors Kerry Condon, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan have also received Oscar nods, all for their roles in The Banshees of Inisherin.
Reflecting on why he thinks Ireland has produced so many celebrated actors, Mescal, who found fame starring in Normal People, said: "I feel like we've always over-represented ourselves.
"Just in terms of population, we're punching above our weight."
Everybody ❤️'s Paul Mescal.
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 22, 2023
On his 27th birthday, the global sex symbol and newly minted #Oscar nominee caught up with THR for a freewheeling celebration of his "f---ing wild year" https://t.co/A7p3CbnDrw pic.twitter.com/o5NnH7ZhQ2
On Normal People's Connell Waldron, the role that earned Mescal widespread recognition in April 2020 during the height of the Covid lockdown, he said: "I'm far from that person...
"There are similarities, of course, because we culturally come from the same place, we both play Gaelic football and we both suffer a little bit with depression - he more so than I do.
"But there are no complaints with that because the writing and direction of that show was beautiful. It was a portrayal of what it is to be a young person in today's world.
"And of course, a lot of things are easier, but it's just f****** hard sometimes."
Mescal has also recently received praise for his portrayal of Stanley in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire.
Originally staged at the Almeida Theatre in north London, the production will transfer to the Phoenix Theatre, in the West End, from 20 March to 29 April.
Mescal's theatre credits also include The Plough and the Stars, performed at the Abbey Theatre and the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith; The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Gaiety Theatre and A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Kilkenny Arts Festival.
The full interview with Paul Mescal is available in The Hollywood Reporter.
Source: Press Association
