Aftersun star Paul Mescal told Ryan Tubridy on this week’s Late Late Show that getting an Oscar nomination for that performance was both "just amazing" and "very surreal".
As Friday night’s show opened, Ryan Tubridy seemed even more upbeat than usual.
"What a great week to be Irish," he said before running through his guest list. First up were Paul Mescal and Emily Watson.
Paul and Emily were there to discuss their new film God's Creatures, which opened the Dublin International Film Festival this week.
Two-time Oscar nominee Watson is no stranger to these shores having played Angela in Angela's Ashes and starred alongside Daniel Day-Lewis in The Boxer.
Before they got down to discussing God’s Creatures, Ryan naturally wondered how Paul felt in the wake of his Academy Award nomination.
"I feel good," Paul told Ryan. "I’ve got a great crew of people around me. It’s full-on nonetheless. You just get on the train and you just keep going."
As for the day he heard of his Oscar nomination for his performance in Aftersun, Paul recalled: "We had a meeting earlier on that I hoped would run though the nominations, but it didn’t. So I was just watching my phone.
"When the nomination came up, my phone dropped and started shaking, I FaceTimed my family and there was lots of emotion that came with it. It wasn’t expected.
"I thought we were on the outside of the bubble, but it’s just a dream come true to be honest. To be in a category with Colin [Farrell], it’s just amazing . . . very surreal."
As for the unprecedented level of nominations in this year’s awards season, Paul is no doubt that the Irish can continue to hit the heights. "There’s no reason we shouldn’t be pushing," he said. "We’ve got the writers and directors."
Ryan pointed out that Emily had "been down this road before" in terms of Oscar nominations and she told him: "It was my first film and same kind of deal. On the actually I woke up and had no voice. I completely lost my voice. On the red carpet in total silence. I just waved.
"It was very overwhelming, but just amazing to be in that room, with all those people. It was just sensational. And it was more fun the second time. I was more relaxed."
She also told Ryan that she texted Paul when the new broke about his Oscar nomination. "I said, in several decades time, when you’re fat and unfashionable, you’ll still be in work because of your Oscar nomination."
As for God’s Creatures, the film they made together, Emily felt that she "became part of the ground of Ireland" as the film was shot in Donegal during lockdown. "It was such an intense experience," she added.
"It’s about a small fishing community where a prodigal son returns after years away, lights up his mother’s life, and he’s accused of sexual assault. And a mother’s love is very tested. It’s like a Greek tragedy that unravels."
"I think it was a challenge," Paul told Ryan when he asked him about his character, the prodigal Brian. "It just made sense that it was the next thing to do. It’s something that feels innately Irish, Also thematically it feels universal.
"When Emily was on-board it was a no-brainer," he added. "She’s just great . . . Emily is the easiest person to fall in love with."
And as for Oscars night, a grinning Paul told Ryan: "Mum and Dad are coming in, we’ll get dressed up, go to the ceremony, then get a couple of drinks and get drunk!"
The Late Late Show, Fridays on RTÉ One
