Paul Mescal On 'Lazy And Frustrating' Film Criticisms

Paul Mescal has admitted he's not happy with one comparison that's been made about his new film.
The Oscar nominee is currently in Cannes promoting his new film The History Of Sound, in which he and Josh O'Connor play two men who fall in love in the early 20th century, while travelling around recording the folk songs and stories of American countrymen after World War I.
Speaking at a Cannes press conference, Paul was asked by Metro about the film being compared to Brokeback Mountain, another romantic drama set in a similar period, which centred around a same-sex love story.
The Normal People star responded: 'When I look at Brokeback Mountain, it's dealing with repression. This film is pointed in the opposite direction. To be honest, I find those comparisons lazy and frustrating.'
Paul Mescal finds comparisons between his new film with Josh O'Connor 'The History Of Sound' and 'Brokeback Mountain' 'lazy and frustrating' #Cannes2025 pic.twitter.com/TJ0wYhSxXR
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) May 22, 2025
Deadline / Via x.com
Brokeback Mountain premiered at the Venice Film Festival 20 years ago, winning the Golden Lion and later scoring Oscar nominations for its leads Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, as well as their co-star Michelle Williams.
Director Oliver Hermanus insisted in Cannes that Brokeback Mountain 'wasn't in our heads' when he and his team were making The History Of Sound.
He added that the comparison 'just shows there should be more forms about these nuances of queer relationships, beyond the context most movies deal with'.
The History Of Sound premiered in Cannes on Wednesday night, where it received a standing ovation that lasted between six and nine minutes (depending on which outlet you believe).
It's also been well-received by critics, landing an enviable score of 75% on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes the morning after its premiere.
Both Paul and Josh have appeared in big-screen queer love stories before, with the former sharing the screen with Andrew Scott in 2023's All Of Us Strangers.
Josh also had his breakthrough moment in Francis Lee's God's Own Country, before he was cast in the likes of The Crown and Challengers.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

San Francisco Chronicle​

2 hours ago

• San Francisco Chronicle​

‘Jaws' at 50: How Steven Spielberg's shark movie changed my life and cinema forever

It's been 50 years since American movies, and a boy's life, changed forever. ' Jaws ' was released on June 20, 1975, a seismic event in moviegoing. Few films can be said to have changed cinema, but Steven Spielberg's early masterpiece is one. With an unprecedented marketing campaign, an unusually wide initial release and crowds packing showings from its opening weekend, the shark thriller literally invented the summer blockbuster season. It also happened to be the first 'adult' movie I ever saw in a theater. At age 9 and growing up in Indianapolis, I might have been too young to see it; my sister Kristin, four years younger, certainly was. Before 'Jaws,' the only films we'd seen in theaters were Disney-type fare. Perhaps our parents couldn't get a babysitter, or maybe they didn't care. Like the rest of America, they wanted to be where the action was. I likely would have fallen in love with movies anyway at some point, but you could connect the dots directly from that viewing to this column, the latest in a career spent in the dark. If it hadn't been then, it likely would have been in 1977, when the summer movie season became a full-blown phenomenon. Of course, there was George Lucas' ' Star Wars,' which 11-year-old me saw seven times, but there was also the 'Jaws'-inspired 'The Deep,' the Burt Reynolds car chase action comedy 'Smokey and the Bandit' and the James Bond film 'The Spy Who Loved Me.' I could go on: 'Grease' and 'Revenge of the Pink Panther' in 1978; 'Alien' and 'Moonraker' in 1979; 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Airplane!' in 1980. You get the idea — I saw them all. In 1981, at age 15, I broadened my horizons. I spent the summer watching the Spielberg-Lucas 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' fantasy films 'Time Bandits' and 'Clash of the Titans' as well as the box office bomb 'Megaforce,' a terrible action movie starring Barry Bostwick that for some reason sticks in my mind to this day. In the fall, I ventured into more sophisticated fare, what we'd call Oscar bait today. 'Chariots of Fire,' the eventual best picture winner; then 'Reds,' 'Ragtime' and many others. By college I was consuming the French New Wave and film noir, and the rest is personal history. However, the summer box office season of big scale adventures, eye-popping special effects, jump scares and belly laughs still holds an allure for me after all these years. I'm obviously not alone; the recent Memorial Day box-office weekend, led by ' Lilo & Stitch ' and ' Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' was the best ever for that holiday. This summer is shaping up to be the best since at least 2019, the last before the pandemic. Spielberg calls such genre movies 'films of imagination,' although one has to say that character-driven comedies and dramas from 'Casablanca' to ' Anora ' are also imaginative, but I know what he means. Science fiction and action films have a way of transporting the viewer into another realm — alternate universes, if you will — more than conventional comedies or dramas do. Yet, what is the future of the summer movie season? Despite its current viability, home viewing habits in general and higher movie theater ticket prices present obstacles. The legacy of 'Jaws' has lasted 50 years. Will it last 60? I think so, but who knows. ' How to Train Your Dragon ' is going strong, Pixar's ' Elio ' and the zombie sequel ' 28 Years Later ' just opened to high expectations, and 'Jurassic Park Rebirth,' a new 'Superman' and 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' loom. Still, few of these movies reach the sublime level of 'Jaws,' which is quite simply not just the greatest summer movie, but one of the best suspense films ever made, not only in its visual splendor and memorable performances, but also the character-driven script by Carl Gottlieb and Peter Benchley from Benchley's novel, Verna Fields' kinetic editing and John Williams' legendary score. Its troubled production, mainly stemming from the fact that the mechanical shark often didn't work properly, is the stuff of legend. Spielberg, then only 27, had to invent on the fly. With the shark, nicknamed Bruce, unavailable much of the time, scenes with humans became more important. With its brooding battle of wills, Robert Shaw's classic USS Indianapolis monologue and a clash between civilization and the elements, 'Jaws' became the '70s version of 'Moby Dick,' a man vs. nature parable that was almost operatic in its humans' obsession with the destruction of an unstoppable predator.

USA Today

3 hours ago

• USA Today

Russells, Van Rhijns and dukes, oh my! Who's who in 'The Gilded Age' Season 3

It's not easy to remember exactly which rich and pretty young lady is which on "The Gilded Age." HBO's costume drama, set in the height of American excess and splendor in the late 1800s, returns for its third season June 22 (9 ET/PT). And while there's still plenty of societal machinations, bustled gowns and upstairs/downstairs melodrama in the series, created by Julian Fellowes ("Downton Abbey"), it can all be a bit difficult to keep straight. Even the characters, led by Christine Baranski, Carrie Coon and Cynthia Nixon among the large ensemble cast, need the gossip rags to help them keep track of who is courting whom, who is up (or down) on the social hierarchy and which opera house reigns supreme. Ahead of the Season 3 debut, we've prepared a primer on the members of New York society, so tasteful that even the highfalutin Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy) would approve. And if you're a fan of Broadway, you'll be delighted with the staggering number of theater actors that make an appearance. The Van Rhijn Household Upstairs: Mrs. Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski), Mrs. Ada Forte (Cynthia Nixon), Miss Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) and Oscar Van Rhijn (Blake Ritson) Downstairs: Miss Armstrong (Debra Monk), Mr. Bannister (Simon Jones), Jack (Ben Ahlers), Mrs. Bauer (Kristine Nielsen) and Bridget (Taylor Richardson) Relations: Cousins Aurora Fane (Kelli O'Hara) and Charles Fane (Ward Horton) While for many years the austere and exacting widow Agnes ran her East 61st Street home with an iron fist of propriety and high necklines, everything changed at the end of Season 2. Agnes' son Oscar lost the family fortune to an investment scam while her sister Ada inherited her own windfall from husband Luke (Robert Sean Leonard), whom the former spinster married just before his untimely death from cancer. Now Ada is in charge of the purse strings and Agnes fears her own obscurity and irrelevance. But keep an eye on their amiable cousin Aurora, because her fate this season might be far worse than Agnes'. Young and bland Miss Marian is still balancing her desire to do real work with her aunts' desire that she marry someone of good breeding, while stealing secret kisses with young and incredibly wealthy Larry Russell (Harry Richardson) from across the street. Downstairs, young footman and part-time inventor Jack is trying to sell a new style of alarm clock with Larry's help and leave the world of service and rigid class striations behind him. The Russell Household Upstairs: Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon), George Russell (Morgan Spector), Larry Russell (Harry Richardson) and Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga) Downstairs: Mr. Church (Jack Gilpin), Mrs. Bruce (Celia Keenan-Bolger), Monsieur Baudin (Douglas Sills) and Adelheid (Erin Wilhelmi) Interested parties: The Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb), Richard Clay (Patrick Page) Pretty much the queen of society since her Metropolitan Opera House won out in the battle with the Academy of Music in Season 2, Bertha has her sights set on cementing her new status by marrying her daughter Gladys to the British Duke of Buckingham. The impoverished duke needs Gladys' dowry to prop up his family's estate, and Bertha may have promised him a bit too much without informing George or taking Gladys' wishes into account. Meanwhile, George is trying to go bigger and better with his businesses, mounting a scheme to build a railroad from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles. It might lose him everything, his most trusted lieutenant Richard warns. The Scott Household Miss Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), Mrs. Dorothy Scott (Audra McDonald) and Mr. Arthur Scott (John Douglas Thompson) Back from her reporting trip in Season 2, Peggy is once again spending less time as Agnes' secretary at the 61 Street house and more time finding her own path in life. Love might be in the air this season, thanks to a handsome new doctor who comes into her life (more on him below). But her parents are wary of his snobbish family. New 'Gilded Age' characters in Season 3 Dr. William Kirkland (Jordan Donica): A Black doctor who treats Peggy for an illness after the Van Rhijn's family physician refuses to treat her because she's colored, William takes a particular shine to his patient. He comes from a very old Black family in Newport. Mrs. Elizabeth Kirkland (Phylicia Rashad): The all-powerful matriarch of the Kirkland family is proud, patronizing and immediately judgmental of the Scotts, because Arthur is a former slave. The Scotts also notice Elizabeth discriminates against them (and her own grandchildren) because they are dark-skinned. JP Morgan (Bill Camp): The banker and American aristocrat whom George calls upon for help in his latest railroad venture. Monica O'Brien (Merritt Wever): An unwelcome guest for the Russells: Bertha's sister. Madame Dashkova (Andrea Martin): Adding a touch of mysticism and superstition to the series, Andrea Martin ("Only Murders in the Building," "My Big Fat Greek Wedding") plays a fortune teller who says she can speak with the dead.

Business Upturn

3 hours ago

• Business Upturn

Is ‘Black Snow' returning for season 3? Everything we know so far

By Aman Shukla Published on June 22, 2025, 19:07 IST Fans of the Australian crime series Black Snow are eager to know if a third season is on the way. After Season 2's gripping finale in May 2025, questions about renewal, cast, plot, and release dates are swirling. Here's a rundown of everything we've gathered about the future of Black Snow . Has Black Snow Been Renewed for Season 3? As of right now—June 22, 2025—there's no official word on Black Snow Season 3. Stan, AMC+, and BBC, the main platforms behind the show, haven't said 'yay' or 'nay' yet. Season 2 kicked off on Stan in Australia on January 1, 2025, and wrapped up on AMC+ in the U.S. by May 22. Sites like JustJared and mention that the networks are still crunching numbers to see how Season 2 did with viewers. The show's got a pretty loyal crowd, though, and it's sitting at a sweet 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. That's gotta count for something, right? Still, we might be stuck twiddling our thumbs for a bit—maybe a few months—before we hear anything solid. Networks can be slow like that. When Could Season 3 Premiere? Without a green light, it's tough to pin down a release date, but we can look at past patterns. If we look at the show's history, there's a pattern. Season 1 dropped on January 1, 2023, and Season 2 came exactly two years later on January 1, 2025, in Australia. Filming for Season 2 happened from mid-2024 to late November, so they needed about six months to shoot, plus some time for editing and all that jazz. If Stan gives the green light soon, I'd bet filming could start around mid-2026. That points to a possible January 2027 premiere on Stan, with AMC+ and BBC maybe airing it around April or May 2027. But, you know, if the renewal drags out, we could be looking at later in 2027. Ahmedabad Plane Crash Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at