Paul Mescal

Born in Maynooth, Ireland, in 1996, Paul Mescal is an Academy Award-nominated actor. He’s best known for playing Connell in the television series Normal People, based on Sally Rooney’s novel of the same name. Mescal will make his West End debut in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Phoenix Theatre.

Growing up, Mescal showed a keen interest in the arts, even playing the Phantom in a high school production of The Phantom of the Opera. Following school, he eventually graduated from The Lir Academy — an Irish drama school at Trinity College Dublin — in 2017.

After graduation, Mescal appeared in many Dublin-based productions: The Great Gatsby and The Red Shoes at the Gate Theatre, the world premiere of Asking For It at the Abbey Theatre, and The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Gaiety Theatre. In 2018, Mescal made his London debut in Seán O'Casey’s The Plough and the Stars at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre.

Mescal’s breakout role came in 2019, cast as Connell Waldron in Normal People, opposite Daisy Edgar-Jones as Marianne Sheridan. The show received widespread critical acclaim for its performances, particularly for Mescal, as well as its realistic portrayal of teenage relationships and mental health. Mescal won the BAFTA for Best Actor in 2021 for Normal People.

He's recently moved to films, notably an Oscar-nominated performance as Calum Paterson in Aftersun. He's due to star in the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, alongside Blake Jenner, Beanie Feldstein, and Ben Platt.

In late 2022, Mescal was cast as Stanley in Rebecca Frecknall's adaptation of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire at the Almeida Theatre. Following rave reviews, A Streetcar Named Desire will transfer to the Phoenix Theatre, with Mescal continuing in the role. He won the Olivier Award for Best Actor.