'This is mad!' — Paul Mescal overwhelmed by fans at Irish premiere of Gladiator II
Paul Mescal taking a selfie with delighted fans ahead of Thursday night's Irish premiere of Gladiator II in the Light House Cinema, Smithfield, Dublin. Picture: Leah Farrell/Rolling News
Dublin’s Smithfield Square was buzzing for the premiere of Gladiator II, staring Irish actor Paul Mescal.
The long-awaited sequel finally comes to cinemas next week, starring Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal alongside the Kildare man.
Mescal was met with chants of 'Olé, olé, olé' as he pulled up to the Lighthouse Cinema on Thursday ahead of the film screening.
Waiting for him on the red carpet were his parents, Dearbhla and Paul, and his sister, Nell.
Mescal was beaming once he spotted them and gave each a hug.
Fans had gathered outside the cinema for hours before in a bid to see the man himself, though only some could nab an all-important selfie before he headed inside.
A number of fans brought signs and things for Mescal to autograph, while others had Sally Rooney books, as a nod to his breakout role as Connell in the TV adaption of her novel, .
Ellen McSweeney, a film student from Kerry, told The Irish Examiner it was a last minute plan to come down. She said:
When asked why they liked him, Alaina from Washington DC, who is spending a semester in Trinity College Dublin, said: “He is very charming. He dated Phoebe Bridgers and I love her.”
Fans are eagerly awaiting the release of the Ridley Scott film, 24 years after the original movie was released.
Cassie Collier, who is originally from London but lives in Dublin, said:
“I love Paul’s stuff. I live around the corner so I just came here on the way from work.
"I love Gladiator as well. I didn’t think a sequel was going to happen.”
The film has received positive reviews since its premiere in Los Angeles in October and fans are hoping it will live up to the hype.
Niamh Curtis from Monaghan said: “I’m scared it will be a let-down but everyone says it’s actually meant to really be good, like the first one.”
Earlier on Thursday, a Paul Mescal lookalike competition was held in Smithfield.
The crowd voted for the best Mescal lookalike from a line-up of hopefuls kitted out in hoodies, O’Neill’s GAA shorts and wire headphones.
Munster man Jack Wall O’Reilly, who brought a packet of Denny sausages as an ode to Mescal’s famous “Ballyhaunis” television advert, was crowned overall winner and took home the prestigious prize of "€20, or three pints".
The real Mescal didn’t make an appearance at the competition, though fans were hoping he’d stop by.
The actor was actually in Trinity College, with a large crowd of students gathering to see him.
A video on the official Gladiator Instagram showed Mescal looking quite shocked at the turnout.
“This is mad. This is fucking bananas,” he told the fans, before joking that they should get back to class.
Mescal has been confirmed for next week’s , with fans encouraged to apply for tickets for the RTÉ show by emailing latelaterte@rte.ie with 'Paul Mescal' in the subject line.
- Gladiator II opens in cinemas on November 15.
