Paul Mescal reflects on struggling time in drama school

Paul Mescal, known for his role in Normal People, looked back on his successful journey from a nobody to an Oscar nominated Hollywood star.

The Gladiator II star shared the challenges he went through during his time in the drama school, The Lir Academy, in Dublin.

In an interview with the Rolling Stone, the Aftersun actor revealed that he fell in love with the profession after starring as Phantom in his high school’s rendition of Phantom of the Opera.

He said that things "got pretty Troy Bolton-y in secondary school," but he realized the theater offered the same competitiveness as Gaelic football.

The actor admitted that to him acting was like "a drug" and "glorious." However, when got admitted in Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art in Dublin, his fellow students had an experience in acting while he did not.

"I didn't have the ease of talent that I felt other people had, so it had to come from somewhere else," he said. "Or, no, I suppose I would argue that the talent that I had then is probably no different to the talent that I have now. But I didn’t feel talented."

Mescal added, "When I'd see actors in my class who had more experience improvising, for example, or doing things that I had no experience in, I started to panic, because I'd spent a lot of my life up until that point being good at Gaelic football and being like, 'I know how to be good at this.'"

Despite his initial anxiety, the actor managed to become one of the major Hollywood stars, with bagging big roles in blockbuster films.

Recently he stared as William Shakespeare in Hamnet, which slated for release on November 27.

Mescal is also set to play Paul McCartney in the Beatles biopic , the four-part film each based on legendry band member will be released somewhere in April 2028.