Paul Mescal hints at career shift: ‘I don’t think I can go on doing it as much’

Paul Mescal has indicted that he might start trying to wind down his busy schedule, while confessing that he misses being on stage.

The Irish actor, 29, stars opposite Jessie Buckley in Chloe Zhao’s film adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel Hamnet, which is receiving rave reviews from critics along with plenty of Oscars buzz ahead of its UK and Ireland release date on 9 January.

Meanwhile, Mescal has also been promoting his other film The History of Sound, a wartime love story in which he stars alongside Josh O’Connor.

In a joint interview with O’Connor for The Guardian, Mescal acknowledged that he is five or six years into his career, adding that while he feels “very lucky” he is also learning that “I don’t think I can go on doing it as much”.

Asked if he meant he might start rationing his roles, he responded: “I think so. I’m gonna have to start doing that. For sure.”

He continued: “Rationing doesn’t necessarily mean less. It means learning that films like The History of Sound take more out of the well. You can’t keep going back and expect to consistently deliver something you’re proud of.

“What that rationing looks like, I don’t know. I miss being on stage, so I might have a time when I’m only doing theatre for a couple of years. I also have different priorities in my personal life that I want to attend to.”

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Mescal is currently in a relationship with pop singer Gracie Abrams, 26. They were first linked in 2024, then made their red carpet debut as a couple for the History of Sound premiere in June last year.

Abrams had shown her support for Mescal by also attending the premiere for his film Gladiator 2, while he has likewise been spotted at a number of her concerts.

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In the same interview, O’Connor said he liked his co-star’s rationing idea, stating: “I’m going to take some time off, too.”

“I don’t want to resent the thing I love,” Mescal said, expressing his hope that “nobody gets to see me until 2028”, when he’ll be promoting Sam Mendes’s four feature films about The Beatles.

He is starring as the young Paul McCartney, with Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.

The interconnected movies will each tell a distinct story that collectively charts the Fab Four’s rise, relationships, and cultural impact. Due for release in April 2028, the biopics will also feature Mia McKenna-Bruce, Aimee Lou Wood, Saoirse Ronan, and Anna Sawai.