Paul Mescal has broken his silence after that awkward moment with Saoirse Ronan during a discussion on a talk show.
Saoirse, 30, set social media alight after Friday’s appearance on The Graham Norton Show when she made a joke about self-defence while sat alongside an otherwise all-male panel – which included the actor, Denzel Washington and Eddie Redmayne.
The stars had joined the sofa to discuss their upcoming film, Gladiator II, where Denzel admitted Paul had ‘delivered’ with his performance.
Speaking in his first interview since, the actor, 28, addressed his appearance on the BBC show while walking the red carpet at the film’s Australian premiere in Sydney.
Paul told 9honey Celebrity: ‘I’m totally comfortable saying this but I got absolutely emotional when he [Denzel] said that.’
Paul Mescal has broken his silence after that awkward moment with Saoirse Ronan during a discussion on The Graham Norton Show (pictured in Sydney)
Saoirse, 30, set social media alight when she made a joke about self-defence while sat alongside the actor, Denzel Washington and Eddie Redmayne
He continued: ‘Because he’s just been both so generous with his talent, his performance in the film is just extraordinary but he’s been totally paternal in a non-condescending way entirely on this press tour.
‘And to get that from somebody who is so fundamentally talented is so, it feels incredibly generous and kind.’
Paul takes on the role of Roman Empire Lucius Verus, the grown-up son of Lucilla, portrayed as a child in the Oscar-winning original from 2000 starring Russell Crowe.
For 16 years The Graham Norton Show has been keeping the nation entertained, with the titular host interviewing thousands of celebrities on his famous red sofas.
Yet it was Friday night’s episode that sent the internet ablaze, with Saoirse going viral after she made a remark about gender-based violence while sat alongside an otherwise all-male panel.
The Irish actress was responding to a joke made by Paul, with he, Denzel and Eddie, laughing at the idea one would use a phone to defend themselves in the wake of an attack, before Saoirse swiftly reminded them that women had to think about how they can stay safe from attack ‘all the time.’
While some viewers claimed they saw tension between Saoirse and Paul, the pair are in fact good friends.
So what exactly happened on The Graham Norton Show and why did Paul and Saoirse become the centre of the conversation?
The stars had joined the sofa to discuss their upcoming film, Gladiator II, where Denzel admitted Paul had ‘delivered’ with his performance (pictured in Sydney)
The Irish actress was responding to a joke made by Paul, with he, Denzel and Eddie, laughing at the idea one would use a phone to defend themselves in the wake of an attack
SAOIRSE SAYS ‘I’LL INTERRUPT YOU THERE’
The programme got off to a lively start as Eddie joked that Graham was pleased to have his ‘favourite line-up ever’.
Graham then pointed out that Paul was on good terms with everyone on the sofa, asking about his ‘good friendship’ with Saoirse.
As the pair began talking over each other to tell the story, Saoirse joked: ‘I’ll interrupt and then Paul says “you just say it then”‘, before explaining: ‘You and my husband [actor Jack Lowden] became bromance buddies online.’
Paul added: ‘Jack sent me a very nice message when Normal People came out and I fangirled over Jack. Then I met Saoirse and we worked together, played husband and wife and now we’re best pals.’
Saoirse was quick to add: ‘and we’re neighbours, neighbours in Cork!’ with Graham quick to jump in and joke that they must never spend any time back in Ireland.
Paul and Denzel were on the show to talk about Gladiator II and once they had finished, the pair swapped sides so that Paul could sit next to his good friend Saoirse and give her a hug
In one tense moment Saoirse shut down Paul for talking over her after he laughed at one of her earlier film roles
The programme got off to a lively start as Eddie joked that Graham was pleased to have his ‘favourite line-up ever’ (L-R Denzel Washington, Paul, Saoirse and Eddie)
SAOIRSE TELLS PAUL ‘DON’T LAUGH’
Yet it was clear Paul was in high spirits and just wanting to joke around when it came to Saoirse promoting her new film, Blitz, with Graham warning: ‘Paul behave, because Saoirse’s up now.’
Yet his warning went unheeded, with Paul later unable to control his giggles when Saoirse was being interviewed.
The men on the panel had been discussing undergoing physical transformations for roles, with Graham soon turning the attention to Saoirse.
He asked about the training regime for her titular role in 2011 action thriller Hanna, where she plays a young girl raised to be an assassin by her ex-CIA operative father (Eric Bana).
As a picture of Saoirse in the film flashed up on screen, the boys instantly burst into laughter, prompting the actress to warn: ‘don’t laugh.’
Pointing at the picture, Paul continued to chuckle and remarked: ‘just look at her!’ as Saoirse continued: ‘That is a cult classic, she’s just shot a deer…’
Interrupting her, Paul laughed, ‘of course’, as Saoirse warned again, ‘stop laughing Paul…’
Graham then pointed out that Paul was on good terms with everyone on the sofa, asking about his ‘good friendship’ with Saoirse and her husband Jack Lowden (pictured at Glastonbury)
Paul and Denzel were on the show to talk about Gladiator II and once they had finished, the pair swapped sides so that Paul could sit next to his good friend Saoirse and give her a hug
SAOIRSE SAYS ‘YOU’VE HAD YOUR TIME TALKING’
Trying to change the subject, Graham asked Paul: ‘Have you seen Hanna? It’s a really good film!’ and the Normal People star confessed he hadn’t.
As Saoirse went to speak again, Paul jumped in by joking: ‘I want to go as you for Halloween!’ prompting a visibly irked Saoirse to point out: ‘Ok, you’ve had your time talking.’
Making light of the tension, Denzel, 69, began shrinking into his seat and quipped: ‘Somehow I knew to back up!’ as Saoirse insisted: ‘nah, nah, nah, we love each other.’
SAORISE SHUTS DOWN JOKES ABOUT VIOLENCE
The tense moment happened just minutes before Saoirse stunned the men into silence with her comment on gender-based violence.
During the chat, Eddie, 42, explained that amid his training for The Day of the Jackal, an upcoming Peacock miniseries, he received instruction on how to use a phone to retaliate in the event of an attack.
A guffawing Paul then joked: ‘Who is actually going to think about that? If someone actually attacked me, I’m not going to go “phone.”‘
The men on the panel had been discussing undergoing physical transformations for roles, with host Graham, 61, soon asking Saoirse about her role in 2011’s Hanna (pictured in the film)
As a picture of Saoirse in the film flashed up on screen, the boys instantly burst into laughter, prompting the actress to warn: ‘don’t laugh’ before telling Paul it was her time to talk
Giggling Graham mimicked holding a phone to fend off an assailant, saying, ‘Can you hold on a second?’ to which Eddie said, ‘That’s a very good point.’
Having been talked over in the chat, Saoirse finally found a moment to speak and declared: ‘That’s what girls have to think about all the time.’
The brutally honest comment prompted a moment of silence from the panel.
‘Am I right, ladies?’ she then asked the crowd, eliciting a huge round of applause from the studio audience.
BUT THEY ARE THE BEST OF FRIENDS
While Saoirse and Paul had an awkward interaction on the show, there is no bad blood between the pair.
In fact, the Irish actors are good friends after starring together in 2023 sci-fi film, Foe, where they played a married couple.
The tense moment happened just minutes before Saoirse stunned the men into silence with her comment on gender-based violence
During the promo tour for the film, Saoirse explained how the role had brought them closer together, sharing: ‘We knew each other sort of in passing before, just through friends.
‘We’ve become very, very close since making the film. We’re genuine friends; we’re not Hollywood friends.’
Meanwhile, Paul said of his co-star: ‘Saoirse is the most prepared actor I’ve ever worked with. There’s no tiredness. She’s also now a really good pal of mine.’
Saoirse is currently promoting her war drama film Blitz, which is slated to be released in theaters November 1 before streaming on Apple TV+ November 22.
The movie also stars Elliott Heffernan, Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clémentine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller and Stephen Graham.
Blitz, written and directed by Steven McQueen, ‘follow the stories of a group of Londoners during the events of the British capital bombing in World War II,’ a logline for the film reads.
Saoirse portrays a woman named named Rita who is raising her son George, nine, (Heffernan) amid the tumultuous time.
While Saoirse and Paul had an awkward interaction on the show, there is no bad blood between the pair. In fact, the Irish actors are good friends after starring together in 2023 sci-fi film, Foe
