Josh O'Conor, Paul Mescal's unfiltered take on Oscars bait in films

Josh O’Conor and Paul Mescal are cringing over the Oscars reel actors have to do for a nomination in the coveted awards.

The actors, who play lovers in their new film The History of Sound, don’t feel their performances in the film will get Oscar nods.

The duo touched on the subject during an interview with The Guardian.

Mescal reflected on the unexpected Oscar nomination he got for playing a depressed father in Aftersun since there was no reeling in the film. The only scene where his character actually cried was shot from behind and didn’t even show his face.

"You don’t make something like Aftersun and think: 'I know where we’ll be going in 2023!' I doubt that will ever be topped for me, because it’s not the sort of film that usually gets recognised in that capacity," he said.

"That film is quietly perfect," sighed O’Connor. "There’s no crescendo. We’re all so used to awards bait."

"The ‘reel’, they call it," Mescal said with slight disgust as he referred to the melodramatic film clips shown at awards ceremonies. "The Oscars reel. Jesus."

Elsewhere, the La Chimera star praised the Hamnet star’s ability to completely transform while acting.

"There is something spiritual about what happens. When ‘action’ is called, and you look into your friend’s eyes and see something depart, and something else take its place, that is a very moving experience. Physically, the form is Paul. But emotionally, spiritually, he’s vacated. How he does that, f— knows," O'Conor remarked. 

Josh O’Conor and Paul Mescal starring The History of Sound is streaming on MUBI.