Paul Mescal reveals plans to ‘slow down’ his career to prioritise his personal life as he makes rare comment about girlfriend Gracie Abrams

Paul Mescal has revealed he is planning to ‘slow down’ his career to prioritise loved ones in a rare discussion about his personal life, including his relationship with girlfriend Gracie Abrams.

The Irish heartthrob, 29, who is currently filming the new Beatles biopic in which he plays Paul McCartney, opened up about his shifting priorities as he reflected on turning 30 next month.

‘I really enjoyed the rhythm I’ve been working at. I think that process began when I was 23 and I’m now turning 30,’ the Hamnet star said on the latest episode of GQ’s YouTube series, 21 Questions to Fall in Love.

‘I can feel myself wanting to slow down a bit more and certain priorities come in where I spend my time, whether that’s with my family or with my partner or with friends.’

The actor, who rarely discusses his romance with singer Gracie, 26 – daughter of Star Wars director J.J. Abrams – continued: ‘I’ve never had a desire to really spend my time anywhere else other than work up until this point… 

‘And now I do have a desire to not spend my time necessarily in a rehearsal room or on set.’

Paul explained that his constant work rhythm since graduating from drama school, The Lir Academy at Trinity College Dublin, in 2017, left little room for extended breaks.

He said: ‘I’ve had six weeks [off work], but it’s always been in preparation for another job.

‘The maximum amount of time I ever had [off work] is like eight, nine weeks. Three of those would be in bed, recovering, and then the next six weeks would be preparing for the next thing.’

The Normal People star added that he would ‘love to go on a long backpacking holiday in South America’ and has been discussing plans with a friend to carve out six weeks to do it.

He also admitted that spending time with Gracie in the US last summer has helped him develop a ‘surprising’ new passion. 

He has become a devoted Boston Red Sox fan, crediting a ‘partner connection’ to the team, rather than Irish-Boston heritage.

‘I take baseball very seriously now,’ he said. ‘Last year, I went to my first major league baseball game at Fenway Park. I’m a Red Sox fan… I watch the highlights on my phone every morning.’

Paul’s revelation that he wants to spend more time on his relationships comes after he told Rolling Stone last autumn that he has hopes of one day being a dad. 

‘I would love to have a family,’ he said at the time. ‘I’m not like, “I want them tomorrow,” but I would love to have kids.’

Paul and Gracie have been dating for around two years and were first spotted together publicly in June 2024 when they were pictured sharing an intimate date at BRAT Restaurant in London.

They made their first red carpet appearance together at the History Of Sound premiere in June last year, and have since been spotted attending festivals and supporting each other’s careers.

Despite their increasingly public romance, Paul has remained protective of his private life, saying last October: ‘I’m not comfortable inviting any access into that part of my life. How I am in my private life is so precious to me because I get very little of it.’

Speaking on the GQ video this week, Paul added that one of his ‘greatest accomplishments’ in life is his loved ones.

‘I’m very proud of how I show up in my relationships,’ he explained. ‘I’m very proud of how I show up with my family, my friends, and with my partner.’

The actor admitted he wasn’t always the most present friend during his early career, confessing: ‘When I first started working, I don’t know if I was a particularly good friend… like, I would just disappear.’

He continued: ‘I think I’m very proud of, not in terms of the friend that I am now, but the journey that I’ve gone on with that and been like, oh, I actually show up more than I have before.’

Paul went on to reveal that his career achievements are fundamentally tied to the relationships he’s built along the way. 

‘The thing that I feel most proud of in my career is actually the relationships because I think that the reason that certain tangible accomplishments have come out of those things are because of actually fundamentally loving the people that I made it with,’ he explained.

‘I have a real-life love for Jessie Buckley, for Josh O’Connor, for Andrew Scott, for people that I’ve worked with. I absolutely love them. I think the biggest accomplishment in my life is who I love and who loves me.’

Paul recently starred opposite Jessie in Oscar-favourite Hamnet, following his acclaimed on-screen appearances with Josh in The History of Sound and Andrew in All of Us Strangers.

Paul has hinted that he could disappear from the spotlight until he emerges in cinemas in 2028. 

Last year, Sony finally confirmed the cast for its four highly anticipated Beatles films following months of speculation, with all four projects set for release in April 2028. 

As well as Paul taking on the role of McCartney, Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon, Barry Keoghan will star as Ringo Starr and Joseph Quinn will play George Harrison in the films about The Fab Four. 

However, despite the huge career milestone, Paul suggested he may be stepping back from public life for a while.

Speaking to The Guardian while promoting his new film The History of Sound and taking part in press for Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, the actor admitted he is considering a break. 

He said: ‘People will get a break from me and I’ll get a break from them, over the next couple of years.’