Paul Mescal's mother Dearbhla has described watching her son at the recent Irish premiere of the Ridley Scott directed 'Gladiator II', as "very emotional".
Paul Mescal stars in the follow up to Scott's original epic from 2000, which starred Global superstar Russell Crowe. In the movie, Mescal stars as Lucius, the son of Crowe's original character, Maximus.
Gladiator II, which is set 15 years after Maximus' death, was premiered in Ireland at the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield last week. More on this here.
Speaking over the weekend, Dearbhla Mescal described the experience of attending her son's premiere.
"It was actually quite incredible and I heard Paul talking about being overwhelmed but in a good way", she said. "Sometimes things are just so huge for you that you just have to soak it all in, and we really, really did. To hear your child's name being shouted and the fabulous music of The Gladiator behind it was pretty awe inspiring".
She continued: "I got very emotional, I have to say and he did as well as. It was one of those things where you're sharing this big moment, kind of like a wedding, but there's loads of cameras!".
Ever since he graduated from The Lir Academy in Dublin in 2017, Paul Mescal has enjoyed a rapid rise to superstar fame.
Having starred in The Great Gatsby at The Gate Theatre, Mescal enjoyed a breakthrough role as Connell Waldron in TV series Normal People, starring alongside Daisy Edgar Jones. The Maynooth native won a Bafta for this role.
Following this, Mescal earned an Oscar nomination for his role in Aftersun in 2022, before receiving further plaudits for his role in All of Us Strangers last year, starring alongside Andrew Scott.
"I remember him going into The Lir and it is a bit like Monk's School, I have no idea what Monk’s School is like, but I'm guessing it's all-encompassing! You know when you see your child in their lane, doing what they love - that's what I saw even way back then", Dearbhla said.
She added: "I remember the play he was in and the talented actors that were with him on stage and going, Ireland is so rich with all these incredible actors and I hope he shines".
"That was the hope that your child would shine within the industry that they love".
In 2022, Dearbhla Mescal revealed she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of bone marrow cancer. Back in June, she announced that her cancer was in remission.
"The two of us are very lucky, we’re retired and we’re in good health and that’s kind of unusual in your 50s, so I’m feeling very lucky and feeling very blessed. My three children are well and I don't think any parent can ask for more than that, to be honest".
