Paul Mescal has opened up about the negative aspects of his rapid rise to fame, recalling one particular occasion when a crazed fan groped him after posing for a picture with the Normal People actor.
Irish actor Paul, 27, who has recently finished starring in A Streetcar Named Desire at London's Almeida Theatre, obliged the fan after a recent show by posing in some pictures, but things took a turn for the worst when his admirer became handsy.
The Oscar-nominated actor, who is hoping to win Best Lead Actor at the 94th Academy Awards next month, said he was instantly filled with fury as soon as the 'creepy' fan laid hands on his derriere.
"As we posed for it, she put her hand on my a**. I thought it was an accident, so I like moved away. But the hand followed," Mescal recalled.
"I remember tensing up and feeling just, like, fury. I turned to her and said, 'What're you doing? Take your hand off my a**'."
Speaking to ES Magazine, the Aftersun actor said the last thing he wanted to do was somebody out in front of the theatre, but he felt it was necessary given the circumstances.
"That was the last thing I want to do. It's uncomfortable for everyone involved. But it was really not OK. It was so gross, creepy."
Paul added that 97% of his fame so far has been 'really nice' but the other 3% is always 'somebody, like, grabbing my a**'.
It's not the first time the Irish actor has been left horrified by a fan's questionable behaviour.
Paul, became a household name during the pandemic in 2020 when he starred as Connell Waldron in BBC 3's Normal People alongside co-star, Daisy Edgar-Jones who played Marianne Sheridan in the heartbreaking coming-of-age drama series.
Previous to his starring role in Normal People, Paul had predominantly played small parts on Irish TV productions, and had been a successful theatre star - so when he was catapulted to fame - with the likes of Harry Styles and Kourtney Kardashian gushing over his talents - it was a huge adjustment for the young Irish actor.
As a result of the phenomenal success of BBC's adaptation of Sally Rooney's best-selling novel, Paul's life completely changed and he couldn't leave his house without being recognised.
Opening up about the bad parts of being famous, Paul admitted that some of his fans have been exceptionally rude when bumping into him out in public.
On one instance, Paul was left completely horrified after one female fan bragged about having pictures of his naked body on her phone which she had screenshotted from X-rated scenes in Normal People.
During the show, Paul and his co-star Daisy partook in full-frontal nudity - an aspect of the show which stirred up controversy in Ireland.
In a new interview with British GQ, Paul discussed the awkward interaction with the fan which left him feeling 'terrible'.
The actor said he was out with friends in London, not long after the show came out, when they ran into a group of women celebrating a hen do.
The woman said to him: "I didn't think the show was any good but I saw your willy and I have a photo."
"I remember that was the first time that I was really angry. I was like, 'That's f***ing rude!' It's embarrassing for you, it's embarrassing for me, it's embarrassing for my friends and now I have to say no to you. But luckily they are the anomaly," he told the publication.
Following on from his success in Normal People, Paul has gone on to make a huge name for himself in Hollywood.
At the end of 2021, he made his film debut in Netflix's The Lost Daughter alongside Olivia Colman and Dakota Johnson.
In September 2022, he starred in the critically acclaimed film God's Creatures, and he received global recognition and praise for his role as Callum, a young dad who suffers from depression in the movie Aftersun - which won him a BAFTA nomination as well as an Oscar nod for Best Actor.
Paul is going up against Austin Butler for Elvis, Colin Farrell for The Banshees of Inisherin, Brendan Fraser for The Whale and Bill Nighy for Living, for the gong at the 95th Academy Awards this year.
Speaking about the Oscars ceremony on 12 March, Paul said: "Look, I'm not going to win. So it's kind of low-stakes pressure, I can basically just sit back and enjoy it."
