Paul Mescal has been spotted unwinding in Sydney amid backlash to his viral exchange with Saoirse Ronan on The Graham Norton Show.
The Gladiator II star is in Australia enjoying some down time after walking the red carpet for Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel at Darling Harbour on October 30.
The Irish actor, 28, was spotted smoking a cigarette on Thursday afternoon and soaking up the views from the balcony of his hotel room, which overlooks Sydney Harbour.
Embracing the balmy sunshine, Mescal was pictured shirtless during the balcony session, where he was joined by two unidentified women and one tattooed man.
At the time Mescal was photographed, he was blissfully unaware that in the next 24 hours he’d find himself at the centre of a global media firestorm — as a pre-recorded episode of the Graham Norton Show went to air in the UK.
The Normal People star appeared to be in jovial spirits as he took a few drags of a cigarette and admired the picturesque view of the harbour with his friends.
Mescal’s Gladiator II co-star Saoirse, 30, set social media alight during Friday’s appearance on the show, when she made a remark about gender-based violence while sat alongside an otherwise all-male panel of Paul, Denzel Washington and Eddie Redmayne.
In the terse exchange, Saoirse silenced the all-male panel with her one now-viral response to Mescal.
Paul Mescal has been spotted in Sydney partying with some female company. The Gladiator II star, 28, is in Australia promoting the new ancient Rome-themed film. Pictured
And over the weekend, the Irish actor was seen enjoying the view while staying at a hotel on Sydney Harbour
During the Graham Norton interview, 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.
Paul then joked: ‘Who is actually going to think about that? If someone actually attacked me, I’m not going to go ‘phone.”
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.
Saoirse set social media alight when she made a joke about self-defence while sat alongside the actor, Denzel Washington and Eddie Redmayne
Speaking in his first interview since then, Paul addressed his appearance on the BBC show while walking the red carpet at the Gladiator II Australian premiere in Sydney.
Asked by 9Honey about a comment Denzel made on The Graham Norton Show, saying that Paul had ‘delivered’ with his performance in the new movie.
Paul replied: ‘I’m totally comfortable saying this but I got absolutely emotional when he [Denzel] said that.’
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.’
He was not asked directly about the awkward interaction with Saorise, who defended her ‘dear friend’ on Virgin Radio UK.
‘Paul being one of my very dear friends, I’ve had conversations like that with him before and he completely gets that and completely understands that,’ Saoirse said.
‘But I think the fact that there was a moment like that that happened on a show like Graham Norton, which is something that the entire nation channels and to watch and even overseas, it’s something that people tune into, it seems to have had an accessibility which seems to have really gained traction, which I think is amazing.’
Paul was shirtless and bared his buff physique while he entertained his guests, enjoying a laugh with his companions
Paul Mescal has broken his silence after that awkward moment with Saoirse Ronan during a discussion on The Graham Norton Show (pictured in Sydney)
While Paul is living it up Down Under, his rumoured girlfriend Gracie Abrams is on tour with Taylor Swift, supporting her on the final leg of the American Eras tour.
Gracie, 25, opened for Taylor, 34, in New Orleans a few nights ago and will continue in this role for the next few months.
Gracie, whose father is the A-list Hollywood director JJ Abrams, was first seen with Paul in June at a restaurant in London.
Two weeks ago, the loved-up pair were seen chatting outside a restaurant on a date night in New York City while they puffed on cigarettes.
Paul is currently busy promoting the upcoming sequel to Russell Crowe’s smash hit 2000 movie Gladiator, in which he takes on the leading role.
Discussing filming the epic while in Australia, Paul admitted he couldn’t bring himself to give up drinking or smoking while working on his ripped physique for the role.
‘I was petrified that they were going to take away everything, like drinking and I smoke. Everything fun,’ he told The Project earlier this year.
The Normal People star appeared to be in jovial spirits as he took a few drags of a cigarette and admired the picturesque view of the harbour with his friends
Paul confessed that he asked his fitness trainer Tim Blakeley to help him work drinking and smoking into his rigorous training regime.
‘I very earnestly was like, ‘Look, Tim, I’m going to keep drinking and smoking for a little bit if I can.
‘He very kindly incorporated them, not into the workout routine, but just into my life.’
Paul first rose to prominence alongside Daisy Edgar Jones in an adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People and has since starred in an array of high-profile releases.
He has racked up credits in Aftersun, Foe and All of Us Strangers, and told GQ Magazine that though he misses his anonymity, he wouldn’t trade in his Hollywood career for anything.
‘I do miss anonymity, but I don’t miss a life before getting the opportunities that come with making films,’ he shared.
‘I love this job more than I miss anonymity, because I’m not naïve to assume that you can really have one without the other, mourning that is less useful.
‘I make incredible friends through this job, and I work with people like Ridley Scott, so it’s all good,’ the actor said.
