Paul Mescal has opened up about his heartwarming experience playing Andrew Scott’s lover in All of Us Strangers.
On 26 January 2024, the highly anticipated fantasy drama, written and directed by acclaimed creative Andrew Haigh, will finally hit cinemas in the UK.
Based on the novel Strangers by Japanese novelist Taichi Yamada, the film follows screenwriter Adam (Scott) as his monotonous everyday life is forever changed following a chance encounter with his mysterious neighbour Harry (Mescal) and the mysterious return of his deceased parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell).
Over the last few months, All of Us Strangers has received universal acclaim at various film festivals for its moving story, incredible acting performances and Haigh’s directing.
Alongside the aforementioned praises, the film has garnered attention for the electric chemistry between Mescal and Scott.
With the film’s release date right around the corner, the Normal People star gushed about playing Scott’s lover during his new Variety’s Actors on Actors interview.
“To play love is such a great privilege, I think. And to do it with Andrew Scott, who’s the king of playing love. It’s just innate in his being both as an actor and as a human,” Mescal explained to the May December star Natalie Portman.
“But to kind of go into scenes with him is one of the greatest honours of my career to date.”
The Aftersun actor also reflected on the intense love scenes in All of Us Strangers – which Portman described as “tender and hot” – and the lack of gay sex scenes in Hollywood films.
“I think it has to do with the junction that I think we’re at in the industry. And I think films like this are an indication of a distance that we’ve travelled, but ultimately, there’s quite a ways to go,” he continued.
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“I’m probably not equipped to answer that fully in terms of what that actually means; all I can talk about is my experience with filming those [scenes]. And the attempt to make something that felt both, as you said, trying to make something that felt hot and sexy but also that doesn’t work in a narrative context if it’s not motivating the characters.”
“Like you have Andrew Scott’s character, Adam, who is in his mid-40s, who has a difficult relationship with his relationship to sex. Harry serves as a safe landing space for him to re-explore his sexuality. Which I think is really moving and really sexy.”
Mescal’s interview comes a few weeks after Scott dished to Entertainment Weekly about the two forming a close friendship while playing a couple.
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“To play being in love or falling in love with someone, it’s the best, completely wonderful thing to be able to do,” Scott explained.
“We were starting to get to know each other [as people], as well. Beyond our preliminary friendship, it was like both of those experiences were coexisting.”
All of Us Strangers is scheduled for release on 22 December in the US and 26 January in the UK.
Check out the full trailer for the film here or below.
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