Film festival games Cannes
Shooting star Paul Mescal talks about his depression
The “Gladiator II” star causes a stir with a film about a gay love. In Cannes he talks about changed male roles, mental difficulties and a film comparison that bothers him.
Kino shooting star Paul Mescal has given an insight into his mental challenges in film shoots. “I think if you have a tendency towards depression as a person, it makes you … it is sometimes difficult on the film set, because I won’t be this version of my personality there,” said the 29-year-old in Cannes.
“As an actor, you are used to splitting your personality, which is useful at work and sometimes unhealthy in life.”
Way of traditional men’s roles
In Cannes, Mescal can be seen alongside Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”) in a historic drama about a gay love story. “The History of Sound” (directed by Oliver Hermanus) runs in the competition of the film festival.
The actor was seen in the blockbuster “Gladiator II” in 2024. With his series role in “Normal People”, he achieved a certain cult status – which in Cannes led to the fact that there was always a particularly loud screeching when the Irish appeared.
It is not the first time that Mescal plays a queer character. “I think that in the world of cinema we may move a little from the rather traditional male alpha figures,” he said.
Parallels to the cult film “Brokeback Mountain”?
“The History of Sound” was compared in Cannes with a cult film about gay love: “Brokeback Mountain”. The 20 -year -old work is about two cowboys who have a secret relationship. “Personally, I don’t see any parallel to” Brokeback Mountain “, apart from the fact that we spend a little time in a tent,” said Mescal.
“I honestly find these comparisons quite lazy and frustrating,” he explained. “The History of Sound” celebrates the love of the two men – and, unlike “Brokeback Mountain”, “no film about her oppressed relationship with her sexuality.”
dpa
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
