Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist

Episode: OSCAR NOMINEES: Paul Mescal on ‘Hamnet,’ Shakespeare and Building Complex Characters

Date: March 14, 2026
Guest: Paul Mescal
Host: Willie Geist

Episode Overview

In this episode, Willie Geist sits down with acclaimed Irish actor Paul Mescal to discuss his transformative role as William Shakespeare in "Hamnet," a film adaptation of the bestselling novel that reimagines the Bard’s private world, dealing with the loss of his son and the inspiration behind his iconic works. The conversation covers Mescal’s approach to portraying Shakespeare as a fallible, struggling young artist, his unique connection to the character, the film’s powerful performances, his rise from Gaelic football to the world stage, and insights into his next major role as Paul McCartney.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Portraying a Young, Human Shakespeare

• Focus on a Moment, Not a Myth:
  Mescal emphasizes the excitement in portraying Shakespeare not as an icon, but as a striving artist, pre-fame and grappling with personal grief and ambition ([03:46]).

  “You don't hear his full name until the last twenty minutes of the film. It made him accessible… It's an artist. And I could relate to that—the compulsion to write and tell stories but not being aware of your own myth.”
  — Paul Mescal [03:46]

• Relatability vs. Genius:
  Playing Shakespeare was daunting at first, but Mescal felt he could connect to the “animalistic, impulsive man who’s got extraordinary talent, but actually he's not interested in his talent, he's interested in the act of making” ([06:45]).

• Stepping Away from Tropes:
  Mescal and the filmmakers deliberately avoided biopic clichés in favor of exploring the unknown, emotional reality of Shakespeare’s inner life ([05:36]).

Exploring Inspiration and Grief

• Shakespeare’s Generosity as an Artist:
  They discuss how the film foregrounds not just the genius, but the “bravery that it takes to take an incredibly painful period in someone's life and hand it over to an audience for public consumption” ([08:25]).

• On Portraying Parental Grief:
  Mescal addresses acting as a father without being one himself, prioritizing emotional truth and investing in the lived-in love and “nest” of the family dynamic ([10:16]):

  “I don't necessarily sign up to the concept that you have to have lived the experience to relate… I could access that. I also love the idea of being a father.”
  — Paul Mescal [10:16]

Memorable Scenes and Performance Techniques

• The Hug of Relief and Realization:
  Mescal recounts a pivotal scene where Shakespeare returns home, embraces his daughter in relief, only to realize that this means tragedy for his son. He describes acting through that shift as “acting Olympics,” relying on lived-in character relationships rather than calculation ([14:23]):

  “You're just trying to not predict how that feeling is going to strike you… That response…feels almost kind of documentary style. It's just, yeah, I'm very, very proud of that moment.”
  — Paul Mescal [14:23]

• Emotional Authenticity and Gender:
  He notes the film’s nuanced depiction of gendered grief:

  “That concept of men or younger men struggling with the initial release of grief or emotion, I think is true… I definitely relate to that feeling, it takes me a second to compute the enormity of what the feeling might be.”
  — Paul Mescal [16:13]

Partnership with Jessie Buckley

• Praising a Co-Star:
  Mescal is effusive about Jessie Buckley’s performance as Shakespeare’s wife:

  “It is her, it’s Anya’s… she hides her brilliant craft in just this wild humanity… Jesse’s performance is just on a totally different level to most of the performances I’ve ever seen.”
  — Paul Mescal [18:06]

Path to Acting: From Gaelic Football to the Stage

• Early Life and School Musicals:
  Mescal shares how a mandatory school musical audition (“The Phantom of the Opera” at age 16) unexpectedly set him on an acting path, despite being a sporty kid ([21:32]):

  “They had this policy where every student…you had to audition…Had I gone to a different school, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today.”
  — Paul Mescal [21:33]

• Impact of Inclusive Arts Education:
  He talks passionately about giving young people a chance to explore outside stereotypes (“theater kids” vs. “sporty kids”) and lauds his school’s inclusive culture ([22:55]).

• Chasing the First Thrill:
  That first big stage performance still drives him ([25:24]):

  “I think I'm still very much still chasing that that night when I was 16.”
  — Paul Mescal [25:24]

Sudden Fame and Adjustment

• Pandemic Breakthrough:
  Mescal reflects on the overnight success from “Normal People” during the pandemic, describing the adjustment as “pretty intense,” and more jarring than anything that’s come since, even with Oscar nominations and blockbuster roles ([26:13]).

  “Weirdly… the sharpest adjustment period happened when Normal People came out… To have that sharp ascent … but to have friends who've shared that experience, it makes the ridiculousness of what my life seems from the outside make more sense.”
  — Paul Mescal [26:13]

• Staying Grounded:
  Living in London, he finds the city’s sense of privacy and community helps manage notoriety ([28:12]).

Big Projects: Gladiator 2 and the Power of Mentorship

• Working with Legends:
  Mescal describes acting opposite Denzel Washington and working with Ridley Scott as both intimidating and humanizing:

  “They're there forever… They're on Mount Rushmore of cinema… but they took away the stigma of, like, oh, you're working with Ridley and Denzel. It's like you're going to work with colleagues who care deeply about what we're making.”
  — Paul Mescal [28:53]

Next Challenge: Becoming Paul McCartney

• Playing an Icon While He’s Alive:
  The conversation closes with Mescal describing the pressure and privilege of portraying a living legend, Paul McCartney, and the daunting technical challenge of learning to play left-handed guitar ([30:19], [31:14]):

  “It’s definitely been the greatest technical challenge of my career. And I’m really proud with where we’ve gotten to with it.”
  — Paul Mescal [31:14]

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “You don't hear his full name until the last twenty minutes of the film. It made him accessible… It's an artist. And I could relate to that—the compulsion to write and tell stories but not being aware of your own myth.”
  — Paul Mescal [03:46]

• "We actually have no idea who he was…"
  — Paul Mescal deconstructing the Shakespeare myth [06:45]

• "There's a real emotional, humanistic literacy that I think he just… there's few people who've given us that over the course of history."
  — Paul Mescal, on Shakespeare’s enduring gift [08:25]

• "You're just trying to not predict how that feeling is going to strike you when you walk into the room…"
  — Paul Mescal, on the pivotal homecoming scene [14:23]

• "I think this performance is, like, not just one for this year. I think it's one for, like, truly for the ages."
  — Paul Mescal, on Jessie Buckley’s performance [18:06]

• "I think I'm still very much still chasing that that night when I was 16."
  — Paul Mescal, on the thrill of performing [25:24]

• "Regardless of how down you are in, like, public spheres, you can live the life that you want to live if you don't operate just purely from a sense of fear."
  — Paul Mescal, on managing fame [27:46]

• "They took away the stigma of, like, oh, you're working with Ridley and Denzel… it's like, you're going to work with colleagues who care deeply about what we're making."
  — Paul Mescal, on Gladiator 2 [28:53]

• "It's definitely been the greatest technical challenge of my career."
  — Paul Mescal, on learning left-handed guitar for the McCartney role [31:14]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:36] — Approach to portraying Shakespeare as a person, not a legend
• [05:36] — The film’s origin and casting, landing the role
• [08:25] — The emotional risk and generosity in Shakespeare’s art
• [10:16] — Navigating parental grief as a performer
• [14:23] — Acting through the homecoming scene and emotional authenticity
• [18:06] — Praising Jessie Buckley’s performance and on-screen chemistry
• [21:32] — Mescal’s journey from athlete to actor via school musicals
• [25:24] — Chasing the thrill of live performance
• [26:13] — Adjusting to fame after “Normal People”
• [28:53] — Working with Denzel Washington and Ridley Scott
• [30:19] — Taking on Paul McCartney, learning left-handed guitar

Tone and Atmosphere

The conversation is warm, candid, and introspective, marked by Mescal’s humility, curiosity, and deep thoughtfulness about his craft and its meaning. There are playful flashes (jokes about “manipulation” and paying Jessie Buckley under the table), but the overall feeling is one of depth, admiration, and serious engagement with acting, legacy, and vulnerability.

Summary

Willie Geist’s conversation with Paul Mescal is a compelling deep dive into how one of today’s leading actors crafts rich, complex characters—be it a grieving Shakespeare in “Hamnet,” a modern youth on “Normal People,” or a cultural titan like Paul McCartney. Mescal shares insight into his process, the challenges and privileges of his roles, the importance of embracing vulnerability, and the foundational moments that made his career possible. The episode is rich with wisdom on the craft of acting, the necessity of empathy, and the enduring power of great storytelling.