Paul Mescal's 'Gladiator' Photoshoot Is Making the Internet Thirsty
Paul Mescal says he thought rumors that he had a habit of running away after one-night stands were funny until they reached his mother and "upset" her.
Mescal, 28, opened up about life in the public eye in an interview for GQ's November cover story, and the interviewer asked about the rumors, which claimed the "Gladiator II" star had a habit of having one-night stands then disappearing early in the morning.
The Irish actor, who is currently dating Gracie Abrams, said the rumors were "categorically untrue," which made them all the more funny to him and his siblings. Paul told the outlet he and his brother and sister were "pissing ourselves" and "laughing, laughing, laughing" at videos about the rumors on social media.
But one family member didn't find them funny: Paul's mother, Dearbhla Mescal.
"The one thing that upset me was that I was in the kitchen, I remember my mum looking at the videos and she was getting upset," he explained. "Isn't that devastating?"
Mescal said he and his siblings were able to find the humor in the rumors "because we know that this is the way the internet works. It's hilarious. If it was true, it'd be f***ing bad, but as a rumor, it's funny."
The "Normal People" star said that as his fame has grown, he has had to draw "certain lines in the sand" that "are going to be impenetrable for the benefit of my own sanity."
"I mean, the speculation has been kind of mad for the last x amount of years," he said. "I'm not comfortable inviting any access into that part of my life. How I am in my private life is so precious to me because I get very little of it, and it might be public interest, but it's not public-obligated information."
The photoshoot also had fans going wild.
-- With reporting by TMX