The actor, 28, has opened up about his thoughts on death and how he believes his own passing will be premature
It seems as though all of that ‘fighting to the death’ lark in Gladiator II might have encouraged Paul Mescal to consider his own mortality, as the actor has made an extremely honest admission about when he thinks he will pass away.
Despite being just 28 years old, in the prime of his life and in tip-top shape, the Irishman revealed that he is ‘convinced’ he will be gone before his time.
Considering the fact that he’s a main cast member in Richard Linklater‘s film Merrily We Roll Along, which is being filmed over a 20-year span, it’s clear he isn’t planning on popping his clogs anytime soon.
But Mescal doesn’t see himself making it to his golden years either, as he has an extremely persistent ‘gut feeling’ that he will bite the dust long before then.
This might have impacted his decision to not knock boozing and smoking on the head while filming Gladiator II, even though he had to follow a gruelling diet and exercise regime for his role as Roman emperor Lucius Verus.
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The Normal People star explained that although he wanted to put his all into his preparation and ‘loved’ every second of it, he just couldn’t give up these two vices – so his trainer, Tim Blakeley, came up with something of a loophole.
Speaking to GQ Magazine, Mescal said: “I was petrified that they were going to take away everything, like drinking, and I smoke. Everything fun.
“I very earnestly was like, ‘Look, Tim, I’m going to keep drinking and smoking for a little bit if I can’.
“He very kindly incorporated them, not into the workout routine, but just into my life.”
Mescal continued to lay all of his cards on the table throughout the interview, especially when he eventually got onto the topic of what he hopes for the future.
The actor’s career is continuing to go from strength to strength, while his Gladiator II gig will no doubt boost his popularity even further – but he believes he won’t be around to rehash all these memories when he’s of retirement age.
Paul Mescal is looking as fit as a fiddle following his Gladiator 2 prep (Paramount Pictures)
Mescal explained he would like to be ‘settled’, have got hitched, and maybe have welcomed a couple of kids by the time filming for Merrily We Roll Along wraps up in 2042, however, he doesn’t look much further beyond that.
“I’ve always been convinced that I’m not going to live a long life,” he said bluntly.
“People have this response, but in my head it’s never been drastic. It’s just like a gut feeling.
“And maybe it’s to do with the fact that I can’t visualise myself as an 80-year-old man.”
Although his delivery of the remark made it seem as though he is completely at peace with his supposed fate, Mescal then made it clear that he isn’t in any kind of rush to meet the Grim Reaper.
“I’m also afraid of death,” the Carmen star added.
The actor, 28, said he has always had a feeling he would die young (Hanna Lassen/Getty Images)
“So I think if death was to come for me at 55, I’d be equally afraid of it as I would be at 90,” he went on.
“I don’t believe anybody who’s like, ‘I’m ready for it’. I’m like, ‘Bullshit!'”
Mescal explained that he has ‘always’ felt as though he didn’t have a huge amount of time to make the most of on this Earth, prompting him to want to get his goals checked off as soon as he can
“I was like, going to have a family young,” he said. “I’m going to not survive a long time. Hopefully, I’m wrong. I think I will be wrong.
“But that’s just the truth around my brain.”
Mescal is excitedly gearing up for the highly-anticipated release of Gladiator II next week on 15 November, which see him star alongside Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and May Calamawy.
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