Paul Mescal Is the Hunk Starring in Hulu's TV Adaptation of 'Normal People'
Updated March 22 2021, 3:24 p.m. ET
There are a handful of books I would read twice, and Sally Rooney's Normal People is — without a doubt — one of them. It's a "modern love story" about two young adults who fall in love, facing various real-life problems along the way.
Needless to say, I'm psyched about Hulu and BBC's TV adaptation of the novel, which is set in 12 parts, and I'm especially looking forward to watching the cast they've selected to play each character.
Paul Mescal was cast in Normal People, to play the lead male role of Connell. And although the 23-year-old Irish actor has not yet had much on-screen experience, I'm looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table. So here is everything you need to know about him before the show officially airs.
Paul grew up acting on-stage in Ireland.
Paul hails from across the pond, according to Hoodoo Child, from Maynooth, County Kildare, a college town in Ireland. He is 23 years old, and from a young age, wanted to perform on-stage. He graduated from The Lir Academy at Dublin's Trinity College with a Bachelors in Arts and Acting back in 2017, and has since appeared in a number of major theater productions: he played Gatsby in The Great Gatsby at The Gate Theater, and Prince in The Red Shoes that same year.
The following year, he landed the role of Lieutenant Langon in London's Gaiety Theater and Lyric Theater's production of The Plough and the Stars, and Bryan in Asking For It. He even appeared in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and A Portrait of the Artist. However, everything changed when he was hired for his first major on-screen role as Connell, in Hulu and BBC's Normal People.
Paul is also an avid soccer player.
That's right, ladies — between acting and athletics, Paul can seriously do it all. He has been a member of Maynooth GAA, according to Kildare Now, and has played soccer (er, "football!") for Leinster U-21, a selective league for young men. This explains his athletic build (and why he was cast as Connell, also a popular soccer player!).
Paul's incredible on-stage skills, as well as his unreal ability on the field make him a regular Troy Bolton. And although he's ultimately decided to pursue acting, we can assume he's going to continue playing soccer on the side.
We don't know much about his personal life, but it seems like this could be his big break.
Other than his budding acting career, we don't know much about Paul's personal life these days. However, we can safely assume that Paul's leading role in Normal People will seriously boost his net-worth, resume, and notoriety. 2020 is going to be the year of Paul, and I honestly cannot wait.
While Normal People is going to be an all-around fantastic series, I'm most looking forward to seeing Paul hit the small screen. Make sure to catch it on Hulu in spring 2020.