Paul Mescal opens up about relationship status and why he is keeping it private
Paul Mescal attends the 95th Annual Oscars Nominees Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton on February 13, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. Picture: JC Olivera/Getty Images)
Paul Mescal has revealed that he is going to keep his relationship status private, admitting that being “very forthright” in interviews following his success did not serve him.
In an interview with , the star opened up about the speculation surrounding his relationship status and spoke about his rise to fame.
It comes following rumours late last year that the Oscar-nominated actor and his partner, musician Phoebe Bridgers called it quits. However, neither Mescal nor Bridgers have confirmed this.
When asked directly about the speculation of the status of his relationship, the Maynooth native said he “definitely” feels the temptation to just say what the status of his relationship is, but he does not believe it is the wise thing to do.
“I definitely feel the temptation to say the status of my whatever—that will always be there. But I don’t think that’s a wise thing to do,” he said.
“When came out, I was very forthright in interviews, and it didn’t actually serve me. But the temptation still exists to be like, ‘Shut the f*ck up. This is my life. This is what’s going on. Or this is what’s not going on.’ But moving forward as much as I can, that’s going to be my life that is private. That’s a difficult thing to achieve.”
He added that giving strangers an answer about the speculation surrounding his private life doesn’t actually help him.
“It’s like a quick boost of serotonin, being like, 'I’ve said what I need to say.' And then it’s just Twitter fodder,” he explained.
When it comes to the “prodding” of his personal life, he admits that while he can “drown it out” sometimes, at other times it makes him “really mad and upset”.
“People are going to write and say things because there’s a certain interest with any person who’s in the public eye in how that person lives their life, and who they’re living up with, and what they’re doing and how they’re going about doing it. And look, a lot of the time people are really kind about their support for me. That’s my predominant experience.”
The news of Mescal's Oscar nomination for his role in came just before his mother Dearbhla began chemotherapy treatment. With the Academy Awards set to take place on March 12, the star is making the occasion a family affair and will bring the Mescal clan along for the ride.
“I feel a weird kind of host energy,” he said of the plans for Oscar weekend. “The analogy in my head is I’m the host of a party where I don’t really know how the party works, and I don’t know whose house I’m in. But I have to host it.
“They’re the easiest company, anyway, so they’ll be fine. It’ll determine itself.”
