Paul Mescal has revealed that he is “convinced he will not live a long life.”
The actor, 28, who is in peak physical shape for his lead role in Gladiator II, said he has a “feeling” he will die young in a frank interview about death.
‘I have always been convinced that I will not live a long life. People have this response, but in my head it’s never been drastic. “It’s like a feeling,” he said. GQ Magazine.
‘Maybe it has to do with the fact that I can’t visualize myself as an 80-year-old man. I am also afraid of death. So I think that if death came for me at 55, I would be as afraid of it as I was at 90. I don’t believe anyone who says, “I’m ready for it.” I say, “Damn!”
Paul said he “always” thought he wouldn’t age, but he hopes he’s wrong.
Paul Mescal has revealed that he is “convinced that he will not live a long life”
The actor, 28, who is in peak physical shape for his lead role in Gladiator II (pictured), said he has a “feeling” he will die young in a frank interview about death.
He added: “It’s always in my head. I thought: I’m going to have a young family. I’m not going to survive for long. I hope I’m wrong. I think I’ll be wrong. But that’s the truth in my brain.
It comes after Paul revealed he “loved” training for Gladiator 2, despite how physically exhausting it was.
Set to be released later this year, the Irish actor takes on the role of Roman Empire Lucius Verus, the adult son of Lucilla, played as a child in the 2000 Oscar-winning original starring Russell Crowe.
But the Normal People star said she couldn’t bring herself to give up drinking or smoking while working on her ripped physique for the film.
‘I was petrified that they were going to take everything away from me, like drinking and smoking. All fun,’ he said.
Paul went on to say that he asked his fitness trainer Tim Blakeley to help him incorporate alcohol and tobacco use into his rigorous training regimen.
“I thought very seriously, ‘Look, Tim, I’m going to keep drinking and smoking a little bit if I can,'” Paul recalled.
“He very kindly incorporated them, not into the exercise routine, but simply into my life.”
Paul may have risen to fame for playing studious Connell Waldron in Normal People back in 2020, but audiences will see him in a whole new light during Gladiator II.
On Monday, the cast of Gladiator held a press conference at the Tokyo International Film Festival, where the film will premiere.
The cast of Gladiator II posed for a photo (LR Denzel Washington, Paul, Danish actress Connie Nielsen and American actor Fred Hechinger)
Connie joined the actor on stage.
Denel was also present
Paul cut a casual figure in a black T-shirt and chinos for his appearance.
The actors appeared in high spirits as they chatted about the film.
Paul looked fashionable as he wore a gold hoop in his ear.
The Irish actor, who stars in the sequel to Russel Crowe’s hit 2000 film, underwent a grueling workout routine to get in shape for the lead role.
But the Normal People star said she couldn’t bring herself to give up drinking or smoking while working on her ripped physique for the film.
Earlier this year, footage of Paul’s Gladiator training was widely circulated on tiktok and showed the actor doing dumbbell shoulder raises for a solid 23 seconds.
In an interview with FM CapitalPaul praised his “great trainer” for helping him develop his physique for the film, as well as a team of nutritionists who told him when and what to eat.
Sending a message to fans admiring his new build, Paul added: “I had the best coach in the world, a studio and production that supported me throughout the entire process…
“You have to make the audience believe that this is someone who would survive the intense violence throughout the film.
“And you’re not going to survive that as someone running around Hackney.”
Meanwhile, the star also said Entertainment tonight that his workouts with Coach Tim involved a lot of squats and “heavy lifting.”
During filming, the star also claimed that he was told to stop running in the months leading up to filming, as his team’s goal was to build muscle.
He said during a video interview: “The closer we got to filming, they allowed me to run again.”
Paul is known to be an active person and has been photographed running around London countless times over the past four years.
In addition to this, the star previously revealed that he also loves going for walks and is a keen boxer.