If you think you’ve seen too much of Paul Mescal recently, you’re in luck – the actor is planning an extended break, according to a new interview.
The Irish actor, 29, rose to fame in the BBC’s 2020 series Normal People, playing Connell Waldron in the adaptation of Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel.
That performance won Paul a Bafta, which then led to roles in Gladiator II, All of Us Strangers, and the award-winning coming-of-age drama Aftersun.
He was then announced as the man to take on the role of Sir Paul McCartney in the series of four Beatles biopics, which are all being made by James Bond director Sam Mendes.
And it seems Paul hopes that the 2028 film about Sir Paul, which currently has no title, will be the next time you’ll see him, with the actor planning to take a break until then.
In a new interview with The Guardian ahead of the release of his appearance as William Shakespeare in the biographical drama Hamnet, Paul says he’s decided to give his haters a rest.
‘I’m five or six years into this now, and I feel very lucky. But I’m also learning that I don’t think I can go on doing it as much,’ he began.
He continued: ‘I’m gonna have to start rationing my workload. For sure. Although, rationing doesn’t necessarily mean less. It means learning that films like The History of Sound take more out of the well.’
Paul starred as Lionel Worthing in that period romance drama, directed by Oliver Hermanus, which was released in cinemas during autumn 2025.
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‘You can’t expect to consistently deliver something you’re proud of. What that rationing looks like, I don’t know. I miss being on stage, so I might have a time when I’m only doing theatre for a couple of years.
‘Once I’ve finished promoting [Hamnet], I hope nobody gets to see me until 2028 when I’m doing the Beatles. People will get a break from me and I’ll get a break from them.’
One person who might be happy to see less of Paul in the next few years is Russell Crowe, who didn’t mince his words when discussing Gladiator II – the sequel to Ridley Scott’s 2000 film, which Russell starred in.
Speaking to Australian radio station Triple J, Russell took aim: ‘I think the recent sequel – we don’t have to name it out loud – is a really unfortunate example of not actually understanding what made the first one special.’
‘It wasn’t the pomp. It wasn’t the circumstance. It wasn’t the action. It was the moral core.’
In addition to Paul Mescal playing Sir Paul, the Beatles films – which are planning to be released in a staggered fashion over the next few years – star of Where the Crawdads Sing Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon.
Saltburn star Barry Keoghan will portray Sir Ringo Starr, while Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn will be George Harrison.
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