PAUL MESCAL SAYS his Oscar nomination is “like a whirlwind”, as he prepares for the prestigious awards ceremony this weekend in Hollywood.
The 27-year-old Maynooth actor – who made his breakthrough just three years ago in the TV show Normal People – was speaking at a recent press junket alongside Emily Watson, his co-star in the film God’s Creatures, which is released in cinemas in Ireland on 24 March.
British actress Watson – who made her breakthrough in Danish director Lars Von Trier’s controversial but lauded film Breaking the Waves in 1996 – has been nominated for an Oscar twice. Her first was for that film, while her second was for her portrayal of cellist Jacqueline du Pré in the 1998 film Hilary and Jackie.
When The Journal asked the pair if Watson had given Mescal advice about what it’s like to be an Oscar nominee, he joked: “Emily said my mortgage is paid for for the rest of my life.”
On a more serious note, the actor said that the nomination process has been quite the experience. “It’s really cool. It’s just a whirlwind – it’s like all of the things everybody says happen when it happens are true. It’s just a mad train that you’re just told to get on, and it goes a hundred miles an hour,” he told The Journal. “It’s really fun.”
Mescal received his nomination for his role as Scottish single father Calum in the British film Aftersun, directed by Charlotte Wells and co-starring Frankie Corio as his young daughter. In the film, the father and daughter go on holiday to Turkey, where Calum is seen to be struggling with his mental health. The themes of grief and loss have clearly resonated with audiences worldwide, with the Oscar nomination a surprise but deserving accolade for the independent film.
God’s Creatures also centres on a parent-child relationship, with Watson playing the mother of Mescal’s character, who turns up in their small fishing village after years in Australia. Their intense relationship is tested after his character is accused of a crime and his mother asked to vouch for him. Directed by Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, it’s from a screenplay by Shane Crowley and produced by Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly.
This year’s Oscars ceremony – the 95th Academy Awards – takes place in West Hollywood on Sunday (12 March). Mescal is up against Colin Farrell in the Best Actor category.
Altogether, Ireland has garnered 14 nominations in this year’s awards, with nine for the Martin McDonagh-written and directed Banshees of Inisherin, one for Aftersun, one for An Cailín Ciúin in the Best International Feature category, and one for An Irish Goodbye in the Best Short Film category; Dubliner Richard Baneham is also part of the group nominated for a visual effects Oscar for their work on Avatar: The Way of Water, while Jonathan Redmond is up for an Editing award for Baz Luhrman’s Elvis.
On the night, Mescal will be accompanied to the awards by his mother Dearbhla. His parents and sister, musician Nell Mescal, were among the group of family members and Oscar nominees who gathered yesterday to fly to LA for the Hollywood event.
The Journal will be among the media present in the winners’ press room throughout the ceremony on Sunday, bringing you the latest as the winners talk to the press after picking up their statuettes.
All hopes are that there will be many Irish faces present in the room that night – follow our liveblog throughout the early hours of Sunday as we report on each award as it’s given out.
God’s Creatures is released in cinemas on 24 March.
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