20 February 2023 , 12:52
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He was once called a 'British actor', but Paul Mescal made his heritage crystal clear on the BAFTA's red carpet as he delivered an interview in his native Irish tongue - proving that there is quite literally, nothing he can't do.
The Normal People actor, 27, was nominated for Best Actor for his role as Calum in Charlotte Wells heartbreaking film debut, Aftersun.
After proving that he can not only act, but also sing and dance, Paul put his Irish language skills to the test on the red carpet as he spoke in Gaelic - which is considered as one of the most difficult languages, with only 21% of Irish people speaking it on the daily.
Ever the humble star, Paul offered a disclaimer at the beginning of the interview, admitting that his Irish skills are a little rusty.
The Normal People actor, 27, was nominated for Best Actor (Corbis via Getty Images)Nevertheless, he persevered and managed to gush over his Aftersun co-star, Frankie Corio, all while in his native tongue.
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Paul's interview 'as gaeilge' has since gone viral on social media, with avid fans of the Connell Waldron actor swooning over his hidden talent.
"He makes Irish sound sexy! He’s that talented," one fan gushed, while a second echoed: "This is so cool. As if I couldn't love him anymore, Paul has gone and made Irish sexy again."
"Paul really said 'I'm IRISH' on that red carpet after the English tried to claim him before, hahah. Fair play to him," someone else quipped.
"Just give him all the BAFTA's for that interview alone. People don't realise how difficult Irish actually is," shared another fan.
Paul's interview 'as gaeilge' has since gone viral on social media (Getty Images for BAFTA)Although Paul was nominated for Best Actor, he sadly lost out on the coveted award to Elvis star Austin Butler, 31, who also beat Colin Farrell, Daryl McCormack, Bill Nighy, and Brendan Fraser to the poll.
German war movie All Quiet On The Western Front was the big winner of the night, taking away seven of the 14 awards it had been nominated for while The Banshees Of Inisherin won four awards.
However Aftersun won just one of the four categories it was nominated in, with Charlotte Wells picking up the award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.
Paul sadly lost out on the coveted award to Elvis star Austin Butler (Getty Images for BAFTA)Aftersun lost out in the Outstanding Film category to The Banshees Of Inisherin while both Paul Mescal and Colin Farrell were beaten by Austin.
Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Mescal said his journey since Normal People has been 'mad and amazing'.
“It feels like it’s happened over a short period of time, which it has, but it’s really fun. It’s been really kinetic and energised. I just want to stay on the wave," he said.
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