Irish actor and Gladiator 2 star, Paul Mescal has given a very frank answer about meeting King Charles III at the premiere of the blockbuster last week.
Mescal stars as Lucius Verus in the Ridley Scott film, which has been largely praised by critics, with the 28-year-old hinting that he would be interested in starring in a third film.
The London premiere for the movie took place on 13 November in Leicester Square and saw Mescal reunite with his All of Us Strangers co-star, Andrew Scott.
King Charles was in attendance and met Mescal and the rest of the cast on the red carpet, but the interaction didn’t appear to have much impact on the actor.
Speaking to Variety, Mescal was asked if it was “wild” to meet the King but gave an honest answer, referencing his nationality. The actor said: “It’s definitely not something that was on my bingo cards. I’m, like, Irish – so it’s not kind of on the list of priorities.”
Mescal did give a much more diplomatic answer when it came to Ridley Scott, claiming that it was an “amazing thing” for the director to meet the King, adding: “I know how important that is for him. So, to see his film celebrated in that context was pretty special.”
Mescal also gave a very awkward answer when asked what he said to the King, remarking that “you just kind of nod along”.
“I found it hard to hear exactly what was [being said]. You’re just kind of nodding along and just smiling,” he added.
Elsewhere, Mescal has addressed Saoirse Ronan’s viral remark on The Graham Norton Show, in which she silenced her fellow guests with a brutally honest reminder about women’s safety.
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Recently appearing on Irish broadcaster RTE’s The Late Late Show, he was asked if he was surprised by the response to Ronan’s comments. “I’m not surprised that the message received as much attention that it got, because it’s massively important,” Mescal replied.
“I’m sure you’ve had Saoirse on the show. She’s quite often, more often than not, the most intelligent person in the room,” he continued.
“I think she was spot-on, hit the nail on the head, and it’s also good that messages like that are kind of gaining traction. Like, that’s a conversation that we should absolutely be having on a daily basis,” the Normal People actor said.