Provost congratulates Trinity graduate Paul Mescal on Oscar nomination

In a Tweet posted yesterday, the Provost commended the Lir graduate for the “incredible achievement”. 

Provost Linda Doyle has expressed her congratulations to actor Paul Mescal, who has received an Oscar nomination in the Best Actor category for his role in Aftersun.

In a Tweet posted yesterday, the provost said: “Huge congratulations to Paul Mescal – former student of The Lir – who has just received an Oscar nomination in the Best Actor category for his role in Aftersun!”

Doyle added that the nomination was “an incredible achievement”.

The actor, who graduated from The Lir Academy in 2017, has been nominated for his role of Calum in the film, which is directed by Charlotte Well.

The film follows Sophie, played by Frankie Corio, who reflects on a holiday she took with her father, (played by Mescal), twenty years earlier.

The film has been met with critical acclaim, with the Guardian describing it as an ‘emotionally piercing and beautifully understated tale of love and loss’.

The Lir, which is Ireland’s National Academy of Dramatic Art at Trinity College, joined Doyle in congratulating Mescal, stating: “A massive congratulations to Lir alumni Paul Mescal on his Oscar Nomination!”

While at The Lir, Mescal starred in many productions, including Much Ado about Nothing and Children of the Sun.

The actor is among a record 14 Irish nominees in this year’s Oscars. Among the nominees for Best International Feature is the Irish-language film An Cailín Ciúin, while the Banshees of Inisherin received nine nominations in total.

Kerry Condon, who is nominated for Best Actress for her role in the Banshees of Inisherin, is the sister of Teaching Fellow Roderick Condon of Trinity’s department of sociology.

Mescal will be competing against fellow Irish actor Colin Farrell for the Best Actor award.

Mescal has previously been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and won a British Academy Television Award for his starring role as Connell in ‘Normal People’, which was filmed on the campus of Trinity College, and written by Trinity alumni Sally Rooney.

The minister for culture and the arts Catherine Martin stated that it was a “wonderful day for the Irish film industry with such a record number of Oscar nominations”.

The 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12 live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Kate Byrne

Kate Byrne is the Deputy Comment Editor at Trinity News and is currently in her Junior Sophister Year studying History and Political Science.