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Paul Mescal Talks All of Us Strangers Sex Scenes & Buffing Up for Gladiator 2
“I think sex in film, when it can be healing and sexy at the same time, that’s when it’s at its best,” the actor said.
These gays, they’re stanning Paul Mescal!
Mescal is making waves for his delicate and wonderful performance as Harry in the new Andrew Haigh film All of Us Strangers. His character is the love interest of Adam, played by Andrew Scott. Together, these two characters offer a pretty sharp contrast when it comes to gay men going through emotional woes.
During a new Actors on Actors interview with Natalie Portman for Variety, Mescal commented on the evolution of sex scenes in cinema and how they feel less gratuitous in recent projects. He explained:
“Films like [All of Us Strangers] are an indication of a distance that we’ve traveled, but ultimately there’s quite a ways to go. All I can talk about is my experience with filming those scenes. Andrew Scott’s character, Adam, who is in his mid-40s, has a difficult relationship to sex. My character serves as a safe landing space for him to re-explore his sexuality. I think sex in film, when it can be healing and sexy at the same time, that’s when it’s at its best.”
After making a huge splash in 2020 with the BBC series Normal People, Mescal delivered a breakout performance in 2022’s Aftersun, which got him his first-ever Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
While promoting All of Us Strangers, Mescal is also in the middle of wrapping production for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2. He is set to play the lead character of Lucius Verus in the sequel, who was originally played by Spencer Treat Clark in the original 2000 film Gladiator.
Portman asked Mescal about how production on the Gladiator sequel is going. “How much time do you spend thinking about the Roman Empire?” she asked, clearly aware of the Roman Empire meme that’s been making the rounds on social media. Mescal replied, “All day, every day.” The actor then explained how he’s been physically preparing and staying in shape for the role:
“Lots of protein shakes. It’s a big departure from everything that I’ve done before and so unbelievably fun. It feels like just exercising a totally different skill set. I’m having a ball. We’re going to finish it soon.”
All of Us Strangers premieres December 22 in theaters.
Bernardo Sim is the deputy editor of Out, as well as a writer and content creator. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida. You can follow him on Instagram at @bernardosim.
Bernardo Sim is the deputy editor of Out, as well as a writer and content creator. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida. You can follow him on Instagram at @bernardosim.
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