If you've already witnessed the heart-wrenching performance of Paul Mescal in "Hamnet," you may want to savor it for a while longer. The Irish actor is currently in the midst of a looming awards campaign for Chloé Zhao's Oscar-favorite drama, where he stars alongside Jessie Buckley as Will and Agnes Shakespeare, respectively, grieving the loss of their son.
In recent years, Mescal has become quite the superstar, first capturing our hearts in Sally Rooney's "Normal People" alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones, and later taking on roles in "All of Us Strangers," "Aftersun," and "Gladiator II." However, in a recent interview with The Guardian alongside "The History of Sound" co-star Josh O'Connor, Mescal revealed that we might be seeing a little less of him until his portrayal of Paul McCartney in Sony's Beatles movies, currently scheduled for 2028.
"I'm five or six years into this now, and I feel very lucky," said the Academy Award nominee. "But I'm also learning that I don't think I can keep going at this pace." When asked if he was referring to rationing himself, he replied, "I think so. I'm gonna have to start doing that. For sure ... Rationing doesn't necessarily mean less; it means learning that films like 'The History of Sound' take more out of the well. You can't keep going back and expect to consistently deliver something you're proud of."
Mescal misses being on stage and might take some time to focus on theater for a couple of years. He also has other priorities in his personal life that he wants to attend to. "Once I've finished promoting [Hamnet]," said Mescal, "I hope nobody sees me until 2028 when I'm doing the Beatles. People will get a break from me, and I'll get a break from them."
O'Connor, who stars in "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery," echoed Mescal's desire for some time away from the spotlight. "I'm going to take some time off, too," said the Brit. But the pair also weighed the importance of balancing their mental and physical health with staying visible.
"That's the great fear," said Mescal about not being able to stay current. "But what's the alternative? I don't want to resent the thing I love. This sounds bold, but I'd rather not be on the train if that is the choice." O'Connor, who also features in Kelly Reichardt's slow-paced heist movie "The Mastermind," said, "The nightmare is resenting the work ... Also, the more we see of an actor, the harder it is for that actor to pull the wool over your eyes and convince you they're someone else."
Mescal will star in Sam Mendes' four Beatles movies alongside Harris Dickinson, Joseph Quinn, and Barry Keoghan as McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, respectively. Aside from that and Richard Linklater's "Merrily We Roll Along" film, shot over the course of 20 years with its actors aging in real time, Mescal has nothing coming imminently. He's gunning for another Oscar nomination for "Hamnet," with Buckley currently the frontrunner in her category.
