Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist Paul Mescal on Playing Shakespeare, Working with Legends and Crafting Complex Characters
Nov 30, 2025
Paul Mescal, the Academy Award-nominated Irish actor known for his roles in Normal People and Aftersun, shares insights on his films Hamnet and Gladiator II. He discusses portraying a young Shakespeare, emphasizing the character's impulsive artistry, and reflects on how to convey complex emotions like parental grief without personal experience. Mescal also highlights his journey from school theater to Hollywood, his role in portraying Paul McCartney, and the invaluable lessons learned from legends like Ridley Scott and Denzel Washington.
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Seeing Shakespeare As A Young Maker
- Paul Mescal saw Hamnet's Shakespeare as an accessible, impulsive artist rather than an untouchable genius.
- He connected to Shakespeare through the compulsion to make and communicate, not through claiming genius.
Strategic Telluride Pitch
- Paul deliberately raised Hamnet with director Chloe Zhao at Telluride to re-ignite her interest in the project.
- He and co-star Jesse Buckley coincidentally ended up in nature, which helped Chloe visualize the film's world.
Grief Turned Into Enduring Art
- Mescal emphasizes Shakespeare's generosity in turning private grief into public art that endures.
- He prizes the emotional bravery of making personal pain available to audiences across centuries.
