Paul Mescal insists he has no plans to step back from acting after previously hinting at a possible hiatus.
The Irish star’s upward trajectory is expected to continue in January with the release of Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, in which he plays English playwright William Shakespeare alongside Jessie Buckley as the Bard’s wife, Agnes.
But Mescal, who found fame in a BBC adaptation of Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel Normal People, inadvertantly sparked concern among fans during a recent interview with The Guardian by claiming ‘people will get a break from me and I’ll get a break from them’ over the next two years.
Clarifying those comments, the actor, 29, says the remark may well have been misinterpreted, with his imminent two year absence expected to be spent filming four new biopics about The Beatles.
He told PEOPLE: ‘Oh, what I mean by that is that I’m excited for the period of time that will fundamentally exist where I won’t be promoting anything.’
Mescal will play Sir Paul McCartney in director Sam Mendes’ ambitious four film anthology about each member of the pioneering pop group, alongside Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
Paul Mescal insists he has no plans to step back from acting after previously hinting at a possible hiatus
Mescal’s upward trajectory is expected to continue in January with the release of Hamnet, in which he plays William Shakespeare alongside Jessie Buckley as the Bard’s wife, Agnes
Additionally, James Norton has been cast as the band’s manager, Brian Epstein, while Aimee Lou Wood will play Harrison’s model wife, Pattie Boyd.
All four films will be released in April 2028, and Mescal admits he looking forward to being away from promotional duties between now and then.
‘I would really lose my mind if I took two years off [from] of my job,’ he added. ‘But what I’m excited about is the concept of not being on a promotional tour for the next two years.
‘I think it’ll give people a welcome break from seeing my face.’
The Daily Mail previously revealed that the Beatles biopics will be filmed in part at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios, where the band recorded much of their music between 1962 and 1969.
While it was previously claimed that Westminster Council would not allow filming at the famous zebra crossing, the council has since confirmed to the Daily Mail that production will be going ahead.
Mendes, who is directing the films, had wanted to recreate the Beatles’ 1969 album cover on the crossing.
Westminster Council told Daily Mail that they are, in fact, working closely with production teams to facilitate filming, which will involve closing the road.
Mescal will play Sir Paul McCartney in four films about The Beatles, alongside Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr
The Daily Mail previously revealed that the Beatles biopics will be filmed in part at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios, where the band recorded much of their music
Anna Sawai, who has made a name for herself in the US drama series Shogun, will appear as Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono, and British actress Mia McKenna-Bruce will play Maureen Cox, the wife of Ringo Starr.
Entitled The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event, the project was announced last year.
The movies will each take the perspective of one member of The Beatles as they evolve from unknowns in Liverpool in the early 1960s to becoming the biggest band in the world before breaking up in 1970.
It is the first time that surviving Beatles McCartney and Starr, and the families of the late Lennon and Harrison, have given the rights to feature films about them.
Announcing his female castings, Mendes said: ‘Maureen, Linda, Yoko and Pattie are four fascinating and unique figures in their own right, and I’m thrilled that we’ve managed to persuade four of the most talented women working in film today to join this amazing adventure.’
