Paul Mescal was only delighted to learn that he was heading to the pitch in Croke Park while he was in Dublin for a media blitz for his soon-to-be-released film "Gladiator II."
Mescal, who gushed about his Irish pride during the film's Dublin premiere last week, is featured in an endearing video shared by Paramount Pictures Ireland on Monday.
The Irish actor excitedly replied "shut up!" when he was told he was about to go on the pitch at GAA Headquarters.
The Kildare native said the last time he was on the pitch was in 2015, though judging by the new clip, the talented Irish man hasn't lost his touch.
Over the summer, Mescal revealed that during casting for "Gladiator II," he told director Ridley Scott about his GAA background, adding: "Maybe that was something that helped with it, in that I’m used to being physical in my body."
When the Gladiator and the GAA reunite 🤝🏻 #GladiatorII @officialgaa @CrokePark pic.twitter.com/KabdyKi9L8
— Paramount Pictures (@ParamountIRL) November 11, 2024
Mescal, who played GAA with Kildare minors and under-21s, had a promising Gaelic football career before turning his focus fully to acting.
"Who can say anything for certain but my personal belief is that Paul would have went on to have a very long and impressive career," former Kildare manager Cian O’Neill told the Irish Times in 2020.
In a 2022 appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” Mescal described Gaelic football as “pure chaos.”
“It’s basically like a mix between rugby and soccer but it’s just brutal,” he told Meyers. “Well, rugby’s pretty brutal.
“You represent your parish or where you come from. It’s non-professional so it’s very much spirited, I would say.”
Mescal said he played for Maynooth as well as his county, Kildare.
When asked if he was prone to injury, Mescal said: “I broke my nose and my jaw. I broke my jaw two days before starting my final year in drama school.
“So I was like, I’m going to probably give it a break for the last year.
"I found out that they don’t really go hand in hand, you can’t really act with a broken jaw.”
Mescal admits he didn’t disclose his injuries occurred on the pitch, instead telling his acting teachers that he “got mugged at work.”
Meanwhile, Mescal's love of GAA helped spur an unexpected fashion trend after he was spotted sporting a pair of GAA shorts.
Great to see our 'Vintage Shorts' feature in @GQMagazine. An ideal stocking filler this Christmas⬇️ https://t.co/1GwwdVyhFL
Wishing @mescal_paul continued success🏳 pic.twitter.com/ybs4qjsBBA
— Kildare GAA (@KildareGAA) October 19, 2020
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