Irish actor Paul Mescal to be honored alongside Hollywood greats

Paul Mescal will be honored alongside Rita Moreno and Quentin Tarantino at the fourth annual Academy Museum Gala on October 19.

Mescal, the Oscar nominee from Co Kildare, will be presented with The Vantage Award, which "honors an emerging artist or scholar who is helping to contextualize and challenge dominant narratives around cinema."

The Academy Museum says that Mescal, along with Tarantino and Moreno, "reflect the museum’s continued mission to advance the understanding, celebration, and preservation of film and to contextualize and challenge dominant narratives around cinema."

Previous honorees include Meryl Streep, Michael B. Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Sofia Coppola, Julia Roberts, Miky Lee, Sir Steve McQueen, Tilda Swinton, Haile Gerima, Sophia Loren, Annette Bening, Bob Iger, and Tom Hanks.

The Academy Museum Gala helps raise vital funds to support museum exhibitions, education initiatives,  and public programming, including screenings, K–12 programs, and access initiatives in service of the public and the local community of Los Angeles. 

Incoming Academy Museum Director and President, Amy Homma, commented: “The Academy Museum Gala celebrates the power, global impact, and indelible importance of cinema, and I am thrilled we can gather for a fourth year and honor these three amazing artists—Rita Moreno, Quentin Tarantino, and Paul Mescal—whose groundbreaking achievements, filmmaking influence, and demonstrated versatility will continue to inspire generations of artists and filmmakers.

“We are profoundly grateful to Rolex for their continued support of the museum and cinema worldwide, our co-chairs Dr. Eric Esrailian, Salma Hayek Pinault, Nicole Kidman, Eva Longoria, and Tyler Perry for hosting this special evening."

Mescal, who trained at The Lir Academy, Ireland’s National Academy of Dramatic Art, played the title role in Martin McDonagh's critically acclaimed "The Lieutenant of Inishmore" in January 2020 to outstanding reviews.

His other stage credits include "The Red Shoes," "Asking for It," "The Plough and the Stars," "A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man," and "A Midsummer Night's Dream," as well as the titular role of "The Great Gatsby" at Dublin's prestigious Gate Theatre.

Later in 2020, Mescal starred in the smash hit series "Normal People," the television adaptation of Irish author Sally Rooney's popular novel. 

For his lead performance as Connell Waldron in the series, Mescal won both a BAFTA and an IFTA, and landed his first Primetime Emmy and Critics Choice Award nominations.

Later that year, the Irish actor was named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow and one of The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Gen Talent.

In 2022, Mescal was back on stage starring as Stanley in "A Streetcar Named Desire" at the Almeida Theatre and, the following year, at Phoenix Theatre. He won The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in 2023.

In January 2023, Mescal received his first Academy Award nomination for his lead role in "Aftersun," the acclaimed debut feature film by Charlotte Wells. For his performance, the Irish actor won an IFTA and a BAFTA Scotland Award and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, a Gotham Award, a British Independent Film Award, and a Critics Choice Award.

Other recent film credits include leading roles in "God's Creatures" and "Carmen." He also featured in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s acclaimed directorial debut "The Lost Daughter."

Last year, Mescal starred in "Foe" alongside fellow Irish actor and Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan, who is also a member of this year's Academy Museum Gala Host Committee.

He also starred in "All of Us Strangers" alongside fellow Irish actor Andrew Scott as well as Claire Foy and Jamie Bell. For his starring role, Mescal won an IFTA, a British Independent Film Award, and a London Critics Circle Film Award.

Mescal will next star in Ridley Scott's "Gladiator II," which is due to be released globally in November. He also has a lead role in "History of Sound" opposite Josh O'Connor. He is set to film Chloé Zhao’s "Hamnet" alongside Irish actor Jessie Buckley and he will star in Richard Linklater’s film adaptation of "Merrily We Roll Along," a 20-year project.