There are several clues one has ‘made-it’ as a celebrity
There are several clues one has ‘made-it’ as a celebrity: being hounded for pictures and autographs everywhere you travel, never having to worry about your credit card again, the ostentation of a private jet parked on your lawn … but arguably – if not the best, then certainly the most hilarious indicator of risen stardom is the celebrity look-alike contest. Just a few short days ago, Paul Mescal was given this seal of approval by the Gods of Stardom: a contest hosted by Lidl of all places – which inevitably went viral as these things tend to – where the winner won ‘twenty euro, or three pints’. Victor Jack O’Reily took to the proverbial stage, and declared that he believed there was ‘a Paul Mescal in all of us.’
Heartwarming …
Anyway, this month – last week at the time of publication – marks the release of Gladiator 2, the long-gestating sequel to the beloved and critically-acclaimed Roman epic starring Russell Crowe in his career-making turn as General turned slave, Maximus Decimus Meridius. Mescal himself has forged a garlanded career as an indie-icon, embodying emotionally-vulnerable, introspective characters in award darlings like Normal People, Aftersun, and All Of Us Strangers.
However, Gladiator 2 is a different beast altogether; it is Paul Mescal staking a claim in the arena of blockbuster stardom, his sales-pitch for future star-vehicles. In many ways, a make-or-break moment in his career … but thankfully for the Maynooth Man the early buzz around his film and his performance promises another star-making turn in the Colosseum.