Paul Mescal reflected on masculinity in film during the Cannes press conference for “The History of Sound,” saying that he thinks cinema is “moving away” from alpha male roles.
Mescal stars in Oliver Hermanus’ gay romance alongside Josh O’Connor, with the two playing musicians who travel to New England together in the summer of 1919 to record the folk songs of their rural countrymen.
“I think maybe in cinema we’re moving away from the traditional, alpha, leading male characters.
Mescal teared up during the applause, though O’Connor had to miss the premiere due to his filming schedule for Steven Spielberg’s upcoming movie.
Alongside Mescal and O’Connor, the film stars Chris Cooper, Molly Price, Raphael Sbarge, Hadley Robinson, Emma Canning, Briana Middleton and Gary Raymond.
During the Cannes press conference for “The History of Sound,” Paul Mescal discussed masculinity in cinema and expressed his belief that alpha male roles are “moving away” from the medium. Josh O’Connor and Mescal play musicians who go to New England together in the summer of 1919 to record the folk songs of their rural countrymen. Mescal plays the lead in Oliver Hermanus’ gay romance.
“It’s constantly changing,” he stated. “It seems to me that the traditional, alpha, leading male characters are becoming less common in movies. The film, in my opinion, is being highly subjective to the relationship between [their characters], Lionel and David, rather than defining or trying to redefine masculinity. “.”.
In addition, the actor criticized the movie’s comparisons to “Brokeback Mountain,” calling them “lazy and frustrating.”. Numerous reviews of “The History of Sound,” including Variety’s, made a comparison between the two movies.
The room erupted in laughter as he remarked, “I personally don’t see the parallels at all with ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ other than we spent a little time in a tent.”. Most of the time, I believe my connection to the film stems from the fact that it celebrates these men’s love rather than their sexual repression. “[Brokeback] is a beautiful film, but it deals with the idea of repression. I find those comparisons to be rather lazy and frustrating.”. “.”.
When asked about his relationship with O’Connor, who couldn’t attend the movie’s premiere or press conference because he’s wrapping up work on Steven Spielberg’s next project, Mescal responded that he’s “one of the easiest persons” to get along with.
“Josh has a great gift… the person the public sees is very similar to the one we know, and I think that’s very difficult for an actor in today’s age to do,” he said. We had a foundation of safety and play because we had known each other for about five years and were friendly, but during the three or four weeks that we spent filming, our relationship truly blossomed. “.”.
The set, Mescal continued, was “very light and boyish and nonsensical at times,” in spite of the film’s weighty subject matter.
“I was fortunate that Josh and I knew each other well enough to start with, but we had a canvas to continue painting on while filming,” he remarked. He also recalled one of his best set memories, stating that he and O’Connor developed a jolly rancher obsession and would consume eight meals a day.
“I know it sounds shady, but Josh is really dumb,” Mescal remarked. “During the shooting process, we became obsessed with this diet, but we also became obsessed with eating eight Jolly Ranchers every day. Because I think of Josh and I think of Jolly Ranchers, it’s like a microcosm of our relationship. “.”.
When asked if the movie had altered his perspective on love in his own life, Mescal recalled that he read the script at the age of 24 and that he doesn’t believe he “would have been able to play the role the same way.”. When the movie was shot, Mescal was 28 years old.
In “Fleabag,” Andrew Scott’s final speech about love at the wedding highlights how complex love is. That’s what I consider,” Mescal remarked. “It’s really difficult to define.”. The screenplay never really describes it in words; instead, it describes it through actions and unseen things. This is something I’ve discovered in my own life: kindness is greatly underestimated in romantic relationships and ought to be cherished. “”.
At its premiere on Wednesday night, “The History of Sound” received a heartfelt six-minute ovation, causing Cannes to cry. O’Connor had to miss the premiere because he was filming Steven Spielberg’s next film, but Mescal broke down during the applause.
The movie also features Chris Cooper, Molly Price, Raphael Sbarge, Hadley Robinson, Emma Canning, Briana Middleton, and Gary Raymond in addition to Mescal and O’Connor.
