Paul Mescal reveals his ‘blind panic’ ahead of filming ‘All Of Us Strangers’ with Andrew Scott

Paul Mescal has revealed the “blind panic” he felt before filming All Of Us Strangers alongside co-star and fellow Irishman Andrew Scott.

The Kildare native (27) stars in the romantic fantasy drama, directed by Andre Haigh, in which he and Scott play neighbours who strike up a relationship.

Reflecting on his preparation for the Bafta-nominated film, the Normal People star told reporters at the London premiere on Tuesday: “A lot of preparation was thought preparation: thinking about the character, all the basic things, and then the blind panic the night before you start filming, hoping you’re going to live up to the standard of the script, which is one of the most beautiful scripts that I’ve ever read.

“And then the work becomes a hell of a lot easier when you’re working with actors like Andrew [Scott] and directors like Andrew Haigh.”

Mescal, from Maynooth, received a Bafta nod for supporting actor last Thursday for All Of Us Strangers, after last year being nominated at the awards show for best actor for Aftersun.

The film, which also looks into the grief of Scott’s character losing his parents, was nominated for a total of six Baftas, including best director for Looking series writer Haigh and outstanding British film.

The film star previously said that having his family watch his and Scott’s sex scenes in the cinema will be a difficult prospect to navigate.

Mescal, known also for his intimate scenes in romantic drama series Normal People, told BBC One’s The Graham Norton Show last Friday: “With the Irish premiere, trying to allocate tickets to all the aunties and uncles is a tricky business.

“They have seen my bum before but there is a little more going on in this movie, I would say.”

While his co-star Scott, also known for Sherlock and Fleabag, said: “I don’t want to be there when my parents watch it.”

All Of Us Strangers hits cinemas here on Friday, January 26.

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