He shot to fame as Connell in Normal People - now Paul Mescal has lined up a new movie with one of Hollywood’s most-respected actresses.
The Irish star has landed his very first movie role in The Lost Daughter, the directorial debut from actress Maggie Gyllenhaal.
And he’s in good company - other stars who are lined up to star in the movie include Oscar winner Olivia Colman and top actress Dakota Johnson.
He’s one of two Irish stars attached to the project, according to US reports - Killarney actress Jessie Buckley has also joined the cast.
It marks the latest breakthrough in a remarkable year for the Co Kildare actor, who has gone from relative anonymity to bona fide leading man.
The movie is to star Olivia Colman as a well-off college lecturer who goes on a summer holiday to a seaside resort.
There, she becomes fixated with a mother and her young daughter as she is reminded of her of her own difficult experiences of motherhood.
These experiences send her on a downward spiral as she remembers the choices she herself made as a young mum. Detail has yet to emerge about Mescal’s role in the project.
The movie will mark Gyllenhaal’s first time as director. The sister of fellow movie star Jake, her high-profile movies include The Dark Knight and Donnie Darko, while she also starred in Irish movie Frank.
While he had a reputation for his theatre work, Mescal was relatively unknown until he was cast by director Lenny Abrahamson to play the lead role in Normal People, the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s popular and critically acclaimed novel.
The show was a sensation here and worldwide and Mescal is now represented by top agents CAA and Curtis Brown.
The young actor from Maynooth will travel to the US to begin filming the movie in the coming weeks. He most recently appeared on our screens in TV series The Deceived and The Rolling Stones’ music video Scarlet.
