normal people And After Sun Star Paul Mescal says people have mispronounced his last name since he became famous.
The Irish actor, who was recently nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of a single father in a 2022 breakout film After Sunwas talking to The Hollywood Reporter when he discussed a common mispronunciation of his surname.
“People don’t know how to pronounce my name anymore because of the Mezcal drink,” he said, revealing he pronounces it with a softer “s” and “a.”
“Everyone does it,” he added. “I pronounce it ‘Mescal’ and I wonder if I were to launch a tequila line, I would call it ‘Mescal’s Mezcal’.
“I’m on the fence, I’m on the fence about that one,” he added.
In a four star review from After Sun, NME wrote: “Likely to increase the cult following around Mescal, following his turn to win BAFTA in normal people, After Sun may be small in size, but it leaves a distinct and lasting impression. Without a doubt, this is the best British film of this year.
Mescal’s other Best Actor nominees at the 2023 Oscars include Austin Butler (Elvis), Brendan Fraser (The whale), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Bill Nighy (Life).
Elsewhere, Mescal would be set to star in Ridley Scott’s next movie Gladiator following as Lucius, the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s villainous Commodus.
The actor also recently revealed he keeps his relationship status “private” following his supposed separation from Phoebe Bridger.
“When normal people came out, I was very blunt in interviews and that didn’t really help me,” he said. “But the temptation is always there to be like, ‘Shut the fuck up. It’s my life. This is what is happening. Or that’s what’s not happening.
He continued, “But moving forward as far as I can, it’s going to be my life that’s private. It’s a hard thing to achieve.
“But giving strangers an answer about my life doesn’t really help me. It’s like a quick serotonin rush, like, “I said what I had to say. And then it’s just Twitter fodder.