Paul Mescal would be depressed if Gladiator 2 made him more famous

Paul Mescal

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Although Paul Mescal’s name is well known in Hollywood, he’s not sure if he’s ready for the prospect of global attention. Gladiator 2.

During a recent interview with Times UKthe actor who starred in popular projects such as Ordinary people, After the sun, We are all strangers And enemyHe admitted that although he does not know how famous the sequel directed by Ridley Scott will be, he will become “very depressed” if it negatively affects his personal life.

“I don’t know what the difference is,” Mescal said. “Maybe that’s naive? Is it just that more people will stop you in the street? I would feel very depressed if that were the case, and I hope it’s not true. I’ll have an answer next year, but if (the film) affected my life in this way, I would In a bad situation. I have to go ahead and make an obtuse play that no one wants to see.

The Oscar-nominated star noted that he takes his job as an actor “seriously” and is in this industry because he is passionate about it. So when he sees that social media and number of followers play a role in casting, he feels a bit uncomfortable.

“Why are we doing this?” – asked Mescal. “It scares me so much. Acting should never be reduced to the number of Instagram followers.

He added: “Over the past few years, people have been talking about movies and TV shows as content. That’s a dirty word. It’s not “content”, it’s fucking business. I’m not being arrogant, but there are two industries in sync. Who works with a lack of care and artistic integrity. Go crazy, make stuff with Instagram followers as a factor, whatever… But the other one is what’s always been there, which is the craft of filmmaking, directing, lighting, production design. This keeps artists alive. “The public wants to be challenged.”

Mescal stars opposite Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, and Connie Nielsen Gladiator 2which is scheduled to hit theaters on November 22.

The actor said last year Respected That he was “nervous” talking about this particular film because “it’s definitely the biggest film I’ve done.”

“I’m thrilled, but it’s hard to step away from the legacy of the film,” Mescal added. “I think it’s really well written and pays homage to the first part, but it’s something I think I can step in and comfortably make my own.”