A CHANGE FROM THE NORM
PAUL MESCAL’S NEW CHALLENGE
HEY have both had their share of steamy sex scenes on screen... so it is little surprise that Normal People’s Paul Mescal has turned to Fifty Shadeshd bbondaged hunkhk Jamie Dornan for tips on handling fame.
Paul revealed to Guilty Pleasures that there is a network of A-listers who break in newbies.
‘I’ve been really lucky, Jamie for one has been an absolute legend in terms of reaching out, being so generous with what he knows,’ said the 25-year-old actor as he launched an initiative called Samsung Spotlight.
He added: ‘There’s a network of people who have been there that have gone, “It’s all good, you are doing good. Keep going”.
‘Nobody is telling you, “This is what you should do”, because fame is a very personal experience.’
After he and 22-year-old Daisy Edgar-Jones, who played Marianne, starred in the year’s most streamed show, Paul doesn’t want his enjoyment of overnight fame to go cold.
‘It evolves, loads of different stages,’ he said. ‘It’s not supposed to be one fixed thing. The show exploded. Myself and Daisy went with that.’
Pointing out that 2020 was ‘mentally taxing’ for everyone, he went on: ‘Then you throw the show on top of that, it was an extraordinary time.’
With fans swooning over everything from his silver chain to his running shorts, Paul is wary of how visible he will be. ‘I’m still figuring out how best I want to live my life,’ he said. ‘I am trying to stay on a level keel and not to get too cold with it.’
Even if he doesn’t scale the same heights as Jamie,
38, he is happy to rest
Ironing out the kinks: Fifty Shades’ Jamie and Dakota Johnson, and Paul with Daisy in Normal People
Paul is backing showcase for pandemic-hit creatives on his laurels as Normal People’s Connell.
‘I will always be very proud of that show and who Connell and Marianne are,’ said Paul, who is rumoured to be dating US singer Phoebe Bridgers.
‘If it all crashes and burns, I will have him and be very grateful of that job.’ After dancing in a Rolling Stones video, Paul is back on his feet for a new short film called Lockdown.
He shot it on ultra-high definition 8K on the Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphone, and has invited others to record 90-second films to showcase their talents.
‘This is an opportunity for young creatives to do the thing they haven’t been able to do since the pandemic began,’ Paul said.
#SamsungSpotlight champions arts creatives who have been affected by Covid-19. To enter, record a performance of up to 90 seconds and submit it to #SamsungSpotlight to be in with a chance to star in a new Samsung digital ad campaign. Entries are open to those aged 16+.