Last week, King Charles III attended the London premiere of “Gladiator 2” and met some key people involved in the film, including its star, Irish actor Paul Mescal.
On Sunday, Variety caught up with Mescal during the movie’s Las Angeles premiere and asked the “All of Us Strangers” star how “wild” it was to “meet the king?”
In response, Mescal gave a refreshingly honest answer for a man who was born into a culture that has been resisting English colonialism for centuries.
“It’s definitely not something that I thought was in the bingo cards. I’m, like, Irish — so it’s not kind of on the list of priorities,” Mescal said.
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When the “Normal People” star was asked what one would even say to the king, Mescal gave an equally amusing response.
“You just kind of nod along,” Mescal said, admitting that he had a hard time listening because his head was in “kind of a frenzy.”
“So you’re just nodding along and smiling,” he said.
Mescal, however, wasn’t completely indifferent to meeting British royalty. He was somewhat diplomatic when discussing how the film’s English director, Ridley Scott, must have felt during the encounter.
“It’s an amazing thing for Ridley,” Mescal said. “I know how important that is for him. So, to see his film celebrated in that context was pretty special.”
Mescal was also recently on the receiving end of a blunt remark. Earlier this month, he appeared on “The Graham Norton Show” alongside fellow actors, Denzel Washington, Eddie Redmayne and Saoirse Ronan. During their appearance, Redmayne spoke about learning how to use a phone as a weapon for his role in the movie “The Day of the Jackal” — a skill Mescal essentially called a stupid tactic to try while facing an attacker.
“Who’s actually going to think about that?” Mescal joked.
Ronan replied, “That’s what girls have to think about all the time.”
“Am I right ladies?” she asked the audience, earning applause.
After that appearance, Mescal was asked in an interview how he felt about Ronan calling the men out.
Mescal accepted accountability for his ignorance and said Ronan’s point was “massively important” and “spot on.”
So, we guess, your move, Charles?
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