Paul Mescal thinks he’d become ‘depressed’ if a new level of fame made him more recognisable on the street (Picture: WireImage)
Paul Mescal is worried about the increased level of fame that could come with his role in Gladiator 2.
The Irish actor, 27, became a household name in 2020 when he starred alongside Daisy Edgar Jones in the phenomenal Normal People.
Since then the star has been nominated for an Oscar for Aftersun, and won a Laurence Olivier Award for A Streetcar Named Desire.
He’s now set to star in the sequel to Sir Ridley Scott’s Gladiator – the original of which won five Academy Awards and made an international star of Russell Crowe.
But Paul is definitely climbing the ladder to Hollywood for fame – in fact, he worries he’d become ‘depressed’ if more people know who he is.
The Maynooth-born star was asked if he thinks the new film will increase his fame, and admitted he doesn’t know what that would mean for him.
The star has had a stunning rise in his career in the last few years, winning multiple awards (Picture: Reuters)
He became a household name through his role in Normal People based off the novel by Sally Rooney (Picture: BBC)
‘Is it just that more people will stop you in the street? I’d get profoundly depressed if that’s so and hope it isn’t true,’ he told PA.
He admitted he doesn’t yet have an answer for what a difference in fame would look like, but if Gladiator 2 ‘impacts my life in that way, I’ll be in a bad spot.’
Paul joked he has a plan however, as he joked ‘I’d have to move on and do an obtuse play nobody wants to see.’
He is currently starring alongside Andrew Scott in All Of Us Strangers and preparing to film Gladiator 2 (Picture: Shutterstock)
The star admitted he’s had some bad experiences with meeting random people on the street who knew him because of his fame – and noted ‘if someone wants to be a d*ck and say that they went on a date with me, it doesn’t reflect poorly on me, it reflects poorly on them.’
Last year, after plenty of rumours and speculation, Paul was confirmed to be taking on the lead role in the sequel.
He referenced the major role at a red carpet interview with Variety in March and said he was ‘working hard’ to get the muscles to play the warrior.
It’s believed the sequel, announced by Sir Ridley in 2021, will tie in to the original via the son of Lucille and nephew of the now-deceased Roman leader Commodus – Lucius Verus, who was a child in the first movie.
Gladiator starred Crowe as a former Roman General who was sent into slavery before seeking revenge against the emperor who murdered his family.
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If Gladiator 2 ‘impacts my life in that way, I’ll be in a bad spot.’