Paul Mescal’s parents have reacted to their son’s Oscar nomination.
Mescal was nominated for Best Actor on Tuesday (24 January) for his role in Charlotte Wells’s directorial debut, Aftersun, making him one of the category’s youngest-ever nominees at 26.
The actor’s mother Dearbhla told Ireland’s national broadcaster RTÉ that it was “too stressful” to watch the Oscar nominations live, so she found out the news on the family WhatsApp group.
“We’re very blessed, Donnacha [Mescal’s brother] was in New York, sitting in his office, Nelly [Mescal’s sister] was in London, she went straight to his flat.
“It’s an honour to watch him in this arena, I’m emotional a lot today.”
She added: “The fact that I got to see their three faces today, the love they have for each other as siblings is second to none, I’m very happy.”
Mescal’s father – also called Paul – recalled his memories of the historic ceremony.
“It was always such an occasion and even with Irish people like Brenda Fricker and Liam Neeson and all those people and now for our child to be to be in with those,” he said.
The parents’ reaction comes after Nell, who is a singer, shared that Donnacha has cancer. “My mum got a haircut today in prep for her chemotherapy and then paul got nominated for an oscar life is so crazy,” she tweeted.
The singer also shared a screenshot of the whole family looking elated on a group video call, though, she said she would not share the footage as the tears were “ugly”, adding: “I am so proud it is making me sick.”
In a statement, Mescal called the nomination an “insane honour”.
“This is truly a special moment for everyone involved in Aftersun,” he said. “To be recognised by the Academy is such an insane honour and I’m so utterly grateful. I want to dedicate this nomination to my two friends Charlotte [Wells, director] and Frankie [Corio, co-star] who I love dearly! This is bananas, thank you!”
Mescal is currently starring in the London production of Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire at the Almeida Theatre.
The production announced Wednesday that it would be moving to the West End’s Phoenix theatre for a further six weeks after its run at the Almeida ends on 4 February.
Find the full list of Oscar 2023 nominations here – and find this year’s biggest snubs and surprises here.
