Paul Mescal Wants To Take An Acting Break Until 2028

Paul Mescal is ready for a break. In a Jan. 2 interview with The Guardian, the actor opened up about wanting to take an acting hiatus after years in the spotlight. Since scoring a starring role in Normal People in 2020, Mescal has been steadily building up his résumé with back-to-back roles in Aftersun, Gladiator II, The History of Sound, and Hamnet. Now, however, Mescal wants to slow down.

“I’m five or six years into this now, and I feel very lucky,” Mescal told The Guardian in a joint interview with his History of Sound co-star Josh O’Connor. “But I’m also learning that I don’t think I can go on doing it as much.”

“I’m gonna have to start [rationing myself]. For sure,” he said before adding, “Rationing doesn’t necessarily mean less.” Instead, Mescal clarified that different projects require different levels of energy. “It means learning that films like The History of Sound take more out of the well,” he added. “You can’t keep going back and expect to consistently deliver something you’re proud of.”

According to the actor, he’s still defining what exactly “rationing” will look like to him. “What that rationing looks like, I don’t know. I miss being on stage, so I might have a time when I’m only doing [theater] for a couple of years,” he added. “I also have different priorities in my personal life that I want to attend to.”

Mescal has been busy promoting his latest film, Hamnet, which has generated Oscars buzz. But after awards season wraps up, he’s hoping to stay out of the public eye. “Once I’ve finished promoting that, I hope nobody gets to see me until 2028 when I’m doing The Beatles. People will get a break from me, and I’ll get a break from them,” he said.

O’Connor revealed that he also saw the appeal of taking a break. “I’m going to take some time off, too,” O’Connor told The Guardian. “The nightmare is resenting the work. Also, the more we see of an actor, the harder it is for that actor to pull the wool over your eyes and convince you they’re someone else.”

Mescal added that there is a “great fear” that taking a break will mean losing momentum in his career. “But what’s the alternative? I don’t want to resent the thing I love. This sounds bold, but I’d rather not be on the train if that is the choice.”