Paul Mescal hailed for ‘indelibly honest’ acting by fellow Irish star Colin Farrell

‘Normal People’ actor is featured on ‘Time’ magazine’s list of influential people on the rise

Paul Mescal has been hailed as one of the “finest actors” by fellow Irish star Colin Farrell.

The Normal People star, 27, from Maynooth, is featured on Time magazine’s 100 Next list of influential people on the rise. He appears in the artists section of the lineup, alongside stars such as The Crown's Emma Corrin and The Last Of Us's Bella Ramsey.

Time describes the list as the “emerging leaders from around the world who are shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership”.

Farrell, 47, who penned the tribute to Mescal, wrote: “Why is it that the finest actors leave us with the sense that we know them. Even if they are – in life – unknown to us.

“Paul Mescal exemplifies the answer to that question, for there is something indelibly honest about his work. Something that allows us a feeling of recognition.”

He added: “It’s not so much what he shows you, but instead what he makes of himself available for you to see.

“There are things that an artist can grow into, craft, a deepening of the heart. But there is an honesty to some actors so intrinsic that it forms the foundation upon which all else grows.”

Paul Mescal and Colin Farrell (Getty Images)

Recalling “the first time I saw Paul perform”, Farrell said: “What moved me was his ability to stand in silence and take in the world around him so I could experience it through him. I was riveted, and it has been the same in every performance since.

“It is the sincerity of his every word and gesture that makes me so excited for what he's yet to share with us.”

Mescal can next be seen in the gay romance drama All Of Us Strangers, opposite Andrew Scott, which debuted to a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score after its world premiere in August at the Telluride Film Festival.

He also stars in the forthcoming drama Foe with Saoirse Ronan.

Next year, Mescal will appear in Gladiator 2, a follow-up to the 2000 film starring Russel Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. Releasing 24 years after the first film, the sequel is scheduled to debut in cinemas on 22 November 2024.

In July, studio executives revealed that it was Mescal’s starring role in the West End revival of A Streetcar Named Desire that convinced them he was right for Ridley Scott’s sequel.

Mescal was confirmed to star in the Gladiator follow-up in February, a month before he began his Olivier-winning six-week run leading the Phoenix theatre’s production as temperamental Stanley.

Additional reporting by Press Association