'I'm Irish': Why meeting King Charles was 'not on list of priorities' for Gladiator 2 star Paul Mescal

Irish actor Paul Mescal, best known for his role in Gladiator 2, shared a candid take on meeting King Charles III during the film's star-studded premiere in London. Mescal, who plays Lucius Verus in Ridley Scott's much-anticipated sequel, didn't seem enthusiastic about the royal encounter, being from Irish descent.

In a Variety interview, when questioned if it was a ' wild' experience meeting the King, who had had attended the movie premiere and greeted the cast on the red carpet, Mescal while confirming he had never me the British Monarch before said, "It's definitely not something that was on my bingo cards. I'm, like, Irish – so it's not kind of on the list of priorities."

Regarding his actual conversation, Mescal said, "I found it hard to hear exactly he was saying because your head is in such a kind of frenzy. You're just kind of nodding along and just smiling."


However, Mescal spoke more favourably about Ridley Scott meeting the British Monarch, noting it was an "amazing thing" for the director to meet the King, saying, "I know how important that is for him. So, to see his film celebrated in that context was pretty special."

Many found his response hilarious while many criticised the question describing it as "tone deaf".

The premiere event occurred on November 13 in Leicester Square, London, where Mescal reunited with Andrew Scott, his colleague from All of Us Strangers.