“I’m Irish, so…”: Paul Mescal’s Hilariously Honest Feelings About Meeting King Charles at Gladiator 2 Premiere

For someone who is playing a member of the royal family himself, Paul Mescal was not very excited about having met a member of the royal family in real life. Recently, his movie, Gladiator 2 premiered in the UK, and director Ridley Scott and the star cast got the opportunity to meet the British royal, King Charles.

While most celebrities would consider it an achievement to have met the King, Mescal has a very different outlook towards it, and reasonably so. He was interviewed on the red carpet after he met with the British royal and his reaction to being asked what it was like is nothing short of hilarious.

Paul Mescal on What It Was Like to Meet King Charles

Paul Mescal is one of the rising Irish stars in Hollywood and his role as Lucius in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 is a new feather in his cap. The movie recently hit the theatres in the UK and some other countries. It has been doing phenomenally well at the box office despite the initial controversies about historical inaccuracies and whatnot.

Ahead of the theatrical release, the cast along with Scott were in the UK for the premiere. King Charles III also graced the event with his presence. When Variety was able to catch up with Mescal, the interviewer asked him about his experience of meeting the British royal.

The Normal People revealed whether or not he had met the King before and did not try to sugarcoat his words about their recent meeting at all as he nonchalantly responded:

I have never met the King (before). It was definitely not something that was in the Bingo cards. I’m Irish, so it’s not on the list of priorities. But it’s an amazing thing for Ridley [Scott] because I know how important that is for him. To his film celebrated in that context was very special.

Being an Irish person, meeting a British royal not being a priority is understandable given the history of the two nations. From 1801 to 1922, Ireland was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It took several decades of revolution for the British colonization of Ireland to come to an end. So, the occasional cold shoulder is not very surprising.

Ridley Scott Has Been Honoured By the British Royal Family More Than Once

This might have been the first time that the God’s Creatures actor met a member of the British family, but the same cannot be said about Scott. The Blade Runner director has been recognized by the British royal family more than once.

The first time was in 2002 when he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 (via BBC), and according to The Independent, the second time was earlier this year when he was appointed a Knight Grand Cross by King Charles III. Scott has expressed humility and a sense of wonder at receiving these honors for his work in film. He told the PA news agency:

This is the second time I’ve been honoured, I’m just trying to work out what did I do? I just do my job you know, I guess someone sees something.

Meanwhile, when prodded about the topic of their discussion with the King at the film’s premiere, Mescal said that they just nodded along because it was hard to hear what the UK monarch was saying “because your head is in such a kind of frenzy and you just keep nodding along and just smiling.” Meeting the King might not have been a priority for the actor, but it was an important event nonetheless so his reaction seems apt.

Gladiator 2 will be in the theatres from November 22, 2024.