The Beatles film star Paul Mescal has confessed his fear of death. The actor has admitted he is “terrified” of his loved ones dying and “doesn’t know what to do” about it.
The 29-year-old actor is set to portray legendary Sir Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes’ ambitious project about the Fab Four. It will see films released focusing on each member of the Beatles.
Mescal will share the screen with Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, Stranger Things’ Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Harris Dickinson as the iconic John Lennon. The films are slated for release in “proximity” in 2028.
For the Irish actor, this represents another significant role following his lead part in the Gladiator sequel and his Oscar nomination in 2023 for Aftersun. During an appearance on the Louis Theroux Podcast, Mescal shared that his father, Paul Sr, is planning to retire from teaching and return to acting, reports Dublin Live.
The Normal People star also revealed he fears growing old. He said: “I’m absolutely terrified of getting older, I’m totally scared of it because I associate it with a loss of control.
“I’m afraid of it, I think it’s attached to my fear of death. I don’t know what to do with that feeling, of the thought of parents passing away, or siblings, or friends, and statistically, death is one of the inevitable things.”
Paul says his mum, Dearbhla, likes practicing reiki – a form of spiritual healing – and hopes his dad returns back to stage after 33 years. He added: “It gives my mum lots of joy.
“I really hope my dad steps back on stage. But to have worked a job for 33 years is a huge transition to go, ‘you have all your time’, and then to go back on stage, an immensely stressful thing when it was a massive part of your identity as a younger man.”
The Beatles film is the first time the band and Apple Corps Ltd have given full rights to their life stories and music for a major film adaptation. Its cast was announced earlier today at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
In an announcement clip, the director shared: “The Beatles changed my understanding of music. I’ve been trying to make a movie about them for years.
“The four films will be released in close proximity,” said the filmmaker. “Frankly, we need big cinematic events to get people out of the house.”
With speculation mounting over who will appear as the band members, director Ridley Scott appeared to accidentally leak Paul’s involvement last year. The filmmaker – who worked with Paul and Joseph on Gladiator II – let slip that the Irish actor would be playing Sir Paul, 82.
There have been previous films focusing around the Beatles, including Nowhere Boy starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as John Lennon, as well as movies using their music, such as Yesterday.