Paul Mescal calls out ‘gross’ fan for groping him when taking a photo

He said he felt ‘fury’ when it happened

2 years ago

Paul Mescal has said he was groped by a fan while taking a photo together outside the Almeida Theatre in London.

Paul, who rose to fame for his role in Normal People, was asked to take a photo with a fan and after agreeing he was left feeling “fury” after they groped him.

Talking to ES Magazine, Paul said: “As we posed for it, she put her hand on my ass.” At first, he thought it was “accident” and moved away from the fan but their hand followed. Paul recalls “tensing up” and feeling “fury” over the incident and eventually confronted the fan.

Paul continued: “I turned to her and said, ‘What are you doing? Take your hand off my ass.'” Paul said confronting the fan was the last thing he wanted to do because “it’s uncomfortable for everyone involved”, but he wanted to highlight that it wasn’t okay.

He said the moment was “so gross” and “creepy”. Apart from the small percentage of people who act inappropriately when they meet him, Paul said fame is “really nice”. He said: “97 per cent of it is really nice – then three per cent is somebody, like, grabbing your ass.”

Paul is currently starring in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire and was described as “very good” in a review of the show by Time Out. He was also recently nominated for an Oscar for his role in Aftersun.

Talking about his Oscar nomination, Paul said: “I’m hoping that the Oscars after parties are going to be fun – because I think the Irish can show up in that setting. I feel like [Irish actors] always over-represented ourselves. Just in terms of population, we’re punching above out weight.”