Paul Mescal may have an avid following—which includes lovers of silver chains and Gladiator—but his family members are clearly his biggest fans. This afternoon, they proved as much with their heartwarming reaction to the Irish actor’s first Oscar nomination.
Mescal is officially up for Best Actor, thanks to his brilliant turn as a young father in Aftersun. After his nomination was announced, Mescal's sister, singer-songwriter Nell Mescal, posted a screenshot of her family’s reaction on Twitter. In the photo, you can see the Mescal family together on FaceTime, their faces beaming with joy as they heard the news. After sharing the photo, Nell jokingly tweeted, “I would post the video of my reaction but those tears are UGLY.” The singer then wrote, “I am so proud it’s making me sick.”
How cute is that? Mescal celebrated the news as well in an official statement given to The Independent. “This is truly a special moment for everyone involved in Aftersun,” he wrote. “To be recognised by the Academy is such an insane honour and I’m so utterly grateful. I want to dedicate this nomination to my two friends Charlotte and Frankie who I love dearly! This is bananas, thank you!”
Mescal is best known for his breakout role in the Sally Rooney adaptation Normal People, as well as his supporting role in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s psychological drama, The Lost Daughter. Aftersun is the first time the 26-year-old ever starred in a feature film—making his Oscar nomination even more surprising. For those who haven’t seen it, Aftersun is a gripping family drama following Sophie (Celia Rowslon & Frankie Corio), a woman trying to piece together memories of her father, Calum (Mescal). Per the synopsis, “Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy for a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between, as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn’t.
Bria McNeal is a Manhattan based journalist who is patiently awaiting B5's revival. When she's not writing about all things entertainment, she can be found watching TV or trying to DIY something (likely, at the same time). Her work has appeared in NYLON, Refinery29, InStyle, and her personal newsletter, StirCrazy.
