Several UK publications claimed Paul Mescal as British after he was nominated for an Emmy.
*Editor's Note: Paul Mescal celebrates his 25th birthday today, February 2, 2021! Here's a look back to July 2020 when the Co Kildare native set several media outlets straight about his nationality.
Paul Mescal, of Co Kildare (in Ireland), is enjoying a meteoric rise to fame after his performance in “Normal People” (set and filmed in Ireland), an adaptation of (Irish) author Sally Rooney’s novel, has garnered near-universal praise.
Read More: Irish actor Paul Mescal, “Normal People” nab Emmy nominations
As it happens, Mescal’s role as Connell Waldron in the BBC Three / Hulu series was so well received that he nabbed himself an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Lead Actor in A Limited Series category alongside Jeremy Irons (Watchmen), Hugh Jackman (Bad Education), Jeremy Pope (Hollywood), and Mark Ruffalo (I Know This Much Is True).
Good man, Paul. The (Irish) actor was rightfully delighted with the news:
My actual face right now! Thank you to absolutely everyone at @ElementPictures,@hulu and @bbcthree! @lennyabrahamson I will never be able to thank you enough ❤️! @DaisyEdgarJones this only exists because of you and your extraordinary talent it’s as simple as that! Thank you all x pic.twitter.com/s3t6hqr0SW
— Paul Mescal (@mescal_paul) July 28, 2020
However, Mescal may have very well been "sobbing" after reading some of the UK publications who quickly and erroneously claimed him as British after his nomination.
The first faux pas quickly spread across Twitter after Donald Clarke, a film correspondent for The Irish Times, shared this screengrab:
In case you were wondering, double whammy there from the Guardian. Hardly worth mentioning anymore. pic.twitter.com/kLcHDvtjRe
— ?Donald Clarke? (@DonaldClarke63) July 28, 2020
Read More: Paul Mescal's star-making performance in "Normal People" adaptation
Not only did The Guardian claim Mescal as British, they also tried to claim Andrew Scott, who is a native of Dublin. The Guardian has since quietly updated the line in the article to say “There was a strong showing for British and Irish talent…”
Separately, The Daily Mail lumped Mescal in with Jodie Comer, Olivia Colman, and Brian Cox (good company, in fairness) as "British" nominees:
Jodie Comer, Paul Mescal, Olivia Colman and Brian Cox lead the British #Emmys2020 nominees https://t.co/sw4I3GR9iN pic.twitter.com/NZC918q8i9
— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) July 28, 2020
As of July 29, the headline on the Daily Mail article still includes Mescal as British:
A screengrab taken on July 29, 2020
And the UK version of The Sun tweeted on July 29 that Mescal was among the “Brit stars” who scored an Emmy nomination:
A screengrab from The Sun's Twitter account on July 29, 2020
But it was Paul who had the final - and now viral - word:
I’m Irish.
— Paul Mescal (@mescal_paul) July 29, 2020
And there you have it, straight from the source - Paul Mescal is Irish, not British.
*Originally published July 20, 2020, last updated February 2, 2021.
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