It’s 1pm and Paul Mescal is in the back of a car, chugging through the streets of Central London. “What’s outside?” I ask, trying to picture the scene. There’s a pause while he peers out the window. “I can see what looks like an old church that’s very pretty…” he says. “And lots of traffic.”
Mescal sounds relaxed. He’s got a friend beside him and there’s a celebratory tone to his voice – which makes sense. It’s mere hours before the London premiere for Ridley Scott’s historical epic Gladiator II – arguably the most anticipated film of the year – and he’s the lead man, Lucius, the son of Russell Crowe’s character Maximus from the original 2000 movie. Isn’t he nervous? All eyes will be on him. “I was more nervous a couple of weeks ago, but I think now that we’ve been on the road for a good chunk of time… my family’s here, my friends are here and we’re just looking to celebrate.”
What will that celebration entail, exactly? Well, first they’ll drive to the hotel, he says, and then “we’re going to take the lads back to the room and start boxing each other…” There’s that laugh again. “No, that’s not true. We usually have a drink or two, stick some music on and get into the groove.” What’s on the playlist? “A bit of Lankum [the Irish folk band] tonight.” Essentially, he’ll be getting ready for the red carpet in the same way you might prep for a house party, but with a bit more je ne sais quoi.
Indeed, Mescal and his stylist Felicity Kay landed on a single-breasted Gucci tuxedo, “a cute shirt” and a Cartier Petit Santos wristwatch for the red carpet. Wait, what’s the cute shirt? “We’ll have to wait and see,” he says, mysteriously (it turns out to be a white button-up with an undone neck-tie detail). And the fragrance? There’s another laugh. “I’m going to wear Le Labo Another 13.”
So there you have it: now we all know what Paul Mescal smells like. It’s a quintessential vibe for the actor, who tends to always go for classic tailoring and timeless pieces (for the 2023 BAFTAS, he wore another Gucci suit with a 1930s Cartier brooch). “I love the clothes that they put me in,” he says, turning serious for a moment. “I’ve been wearing Gucci for over five years now. I really admire what [the brand is] doing.”
When he’s not getting dressed up for press tours and red carpets, a lot of us see the actor papped in short shorts and classic sporty trainers – a look that millions of lads appear to have copied across the UK. I ask Mescal whether he finds it weird, all these twenty-something clones that have suddenly multiplied across the capital in particular. “I need to start taking them out,” he says, deadpan down the phone. “One by one, I’ll work my way through the city and eliminate them… carefully of course. Nobody will ever be able to tell that I’ve done it.” There’s a pause. “No, I think it’s cool to even have any impact. I don’t really know how to answer that… I really don’t think I’m having the impact that people think I am. That style of streetwear has been there long before me, and will be there long after me.”
Before long, it’s time to go. The car ride’s almost up and he’s got a premiere to attend. It’s going to be A Big Night Out. After the event, he’s going to “go nuts”, he says, before backtracking. “Nothing too crazy. We’re just going to be having drinks. Paramount is throwing an after-party. And we’ll probably just be there until, well… until they decide to kick us out.”
