Irish actor Paul Mescal has addressed the fact that he just portrayed a gay character in Andrew Haigh’s recent film, All of Us Strangers, despite being straight.

Rising to prominence in 2020 after starring in Normal People, the acclaimed series based on Sally Rooney’s award-winning novel of the same name, Mescal is now a significant star.

He earned further acclaim in 2022 after appearing in Aftersun, the directorial debut by Charlotte Wells. His role as a depressed and emotionally vacant father earned him an Oscar nomination.

Mescal’s most recent performance comes in the form of Harry in Haigh’s fifth feature, All of Us Strangers, also starring Andrew Scott. The romantic fantasy movie features a homosexual relationship between the two, yet some people have criticised Mescal, a straight man, for taking on the role.

However, in a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Mescal addressed the conversation surrounding who should and should not play characters of a different sexual orientation.

He explained, “It depends who’s in charge of telling the story. The issue is that there have been so many queer performances in cinema that have been offensive, but that’s because the filmmakers and the actors have been careless.”

All of Us Strangers was written and directed by Haigh, a gay man who has expertly explored homosexual relationships in previous works such as Weekend. Thus, Mescal added, “I don’t think this film exists in that conversation whatsoever. And that’s it.”

In a four-and-a-half star review, Far Out wrote of All of Us Strangers: “Crafting unique characters that creak with fragility, both lead performances carry the earnest nature of Haigh’s screenplay, with their relationship and innate desire for human connection resonating through the screen. Such quiet, delicate characters are not easy to bring to vibrant cinematic life, yet Mescal, Scott, and supporting stars Claire Foy and Jamie Bell, as the ghostly mother and father, pull off the remarkable feat.”