Paul Mescal Plans to Give Fans a Years-Long ‘Break’ From Him

In 2028, Paul Mescal will star as Paul McCartney in a series of biopics about each member of The Beatles. Until then, he says that fans shouldn’t expect to see much of him. Mescal has had a highly successful five years since his breakout role in Normal People. When he finishes promoting Hamnet and The History of Sound, he said he plans to take a step back from his career.

Paul Mescal said he wants to take a break from acting until his role as Paul McCartney

After his breakout role in Normal People, Mescal gave an Oscar-nominated performance in 2022’s Aftersun. In 2024, Mescal starred in Gladiator II and gave two celebrated performances in 2025 in Hamnet and The History of Sound. After he finishes doing press for these two films, he plans to take a step back from acting. While he hopes his career won’t lose momentum, he doesn’t want the grind of work to erode his passion for acting.

“I don’t want to resent the thing I love,” he told The Guardian. “This sounds bold, but I’d rather not be on the train if that is the choice.”

Currently, his only upcoming projects are The Beatles biopics and Merrily We Roll Along, which will likely open in over a decade. 

“Once I’ve finished promoting [Hamnet], I hope nobody gets to see me until 2028 when I’m doing the Beatles,” he said. “People will get a break from me and I’ll get a break from them.”

Mescal noted that in the future, he hopes to give himself more of a break between films that tax him emotionally. He also looks forward to having time to dedicate to theater productions.