Alert the girly group chat, Paul Mescal is in Sydney.
Everyone's Irish boyfriend has come to Australian shores to kick off the promo tour for Gladiator II, the epic Ridley Scott sequel that Mescal is leading, with co-stars Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington.
Mescal touched down at Sydney Airport on Wednesday, curiously carrying a guitar and with wired headphones wrapped around his neck. This relatable king doesn't need no Airpods and is ready and willing to play 'Wonderwall' at a moment's notice.
Mescal then made his way to Darling Harbour in Sydney for the Australian premiere at the ICC.
And it was here that I was waiting for him… along with over 1,000 other people.
Okay, I've got to be honest.
Paul Mescal was nothing like what I expected.
Ever since I fell for him (along with the rest of the world) on Normal People before following his career across to Aftersun and All of Us Strangers, I had envisioned him as the ultimate movie star.
But as he sheepishly stepped out of a black sprinter van and casually strolled his way to the hundreds of people lining the red carpet waiting for him and his co-stars, he was surprisingly… normal.
As I followed him along the red carpet, he didn't have a Hollywood hunk aura. He was just a very handsome Irish man named Paul.
A far cry from the likes of Chris Hemsworth or Tom Cruise who have a dominating presence, I didn't actually even clock that it was THE Paul Mescal when I saw this 5'10-ish (if it matters) suited man chatting with fans.
Despite his low-key demeanor, he still sent his fans absolutely wild. Mescal took selfies and happily signed more than a few copies of Normal People despite being there for an entirely different project.
He even flipped the pages of one fan's book and asked her about her underlined passages. "Very diligent!" he praised. My heart!
Taking a leaf out of basically every Hollywood woman's playbook, Mescal dressed to theme in a rusted brown custom Gucci suit over a silk peasant-style shirt that was giving some serious elevated Roman energy.
A crescent of chest hair could be seen peeping through (if that's your kink).
After arriving especially early to meet and greet fans — something someone of his A-list status rarely does (you cutie, you) — Mescal spoke to the media before entering the venue for the screening.
And inside, another celebrity hailing from the other side of the world was spotted: umm, is that Matty Healy?
Yep, the lead singer of The 1975 and rumoured ex-boyfriend of Taylor Swift was in attendance. He came along with his supermodel partner Gabbriette and Mamamia writer Catie Powers even copped a cheeky pic with the British rocker before the film began.
And the Paul Mescal content wasn't over.
Before Gladiator II started screening, Angela Bishop hosted a Q&A with the cast and crew. As Mescal walked on stage to over 2,000 audience members, he exclaimed that the theatre was the "biggest room I've ever been in."
Huge news that Sydney's ICC is bigger than the Colosseum in Rome. Love that for us.
Watch the trailer for Gladiator II. Post continues after video.
"I just want to say this is absolutely f**king mad," Paul continued.
"To be here with friends and see this amount of people walking onto the red carpet this far away from home — it really isn't lost on us."
Mescal then shared a little anxiety he had that I found completely endearing. "I actually don't want to talk about the movie because you're about to see it and I think that curses something," he admitted in response to one of Bishop's questions.
Paul Mescal was just happy to be here! He didn't even try to run away once!
"Anyone who waited on that red carpet absolutely made my day," he said with a beaming smile spread across his delicate face.
This man is an absolute sweetie through and through (and the movie is damn good too, more to say on that when I'm allowed).
Feature image: Getty.
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