When Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor sat down for Entertainment Weekly’s LIE vs LIE segment, what started as promotional fun for their new film THE HISTORY OF SOUND quickly spiraled into something far more revealing and uncomfortable than either actor likely anticipated.
The premise was simple enough: two co-stars, a handful of prompts, and the challenge of weaving truth and fiction so seamlessly that even they couldn’t tell where reality ended and fabrication began. But when Mescal was asked to share a fan encounter that stuck with him, the Irish actor launched into a story that had O’Connor—and viewers—questioning not just its veracity, but its appropriateness for a lighthearted promotional game.
Mescal painted the scene with uncomfortable precision: London’s stage door after a performance of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, where he found himself posing for photos with fans, as actors do. Enter a woman in her fifties with her daughter, both enthusiastic about his work in NORMAL PEOPLE and his theatrical performance that evening. What happened next, according to Mescal’s account, crossed boundaries in a way that left him unsettled enough to remember it months later.
The telling detail wasn’t just in Mescal’s words, but in his need to physically demonstrate the encounter, asking O’Connor’s permission before placing hands on him to recreate whatever inappropriate gesture this alleged fan had made. The moment crystallized the strange intimacy that actors develop while promoting films together—the way they become comfortable enough to use each other’s bodies as props for storytelling, yet still maintain enough respect to ask permission first.
This blend of professional intimacy and personal boundaries runs through THE HISTORY OF SOUND itself, the romantic drama that brought these two actors together in the first place. Opening Friday, the film follows Lionel and David, two men whose connection deepens from their shared studies at the Boston Conservatory to an expedition collecting folk songs in rural Maine after World War I. It’s a story about artistic passion, emotional discovery, and the kind of profound male friendship that existed in an era when such relationships operated in spaces between spoken and unspoken understanding.
The film premiered at Cannes in May to inevitable comparisons with BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, a parallel that clearly frustrates Mescal. His dismissal of the comparison as “lazy” reveals an actor protective of his work’s unique identity, refusing to let it be reduced to surface similarities. As he pointed out in press conference footage, while both films feature men in outdoor settings, THE HISTORY OF SOUND moves in the opposite direction from BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN’s exploration of repression, instead celebrating openness and artistic expression.
Perhaps that’s what makes Mescal’s fan encounter story so compelling within the context of promoting this particular film. Whether true or fabricated for the game, it speaks to the way public figures navigate inappropriate attention while trying to remain accessible to genuine admirers. The story becomes a small mirror of the film’s larger themes about connection, boundaries, and the courage required to be authentic in a world that doesn’t always know how to respond appropriately.
O’Connor, for his part, had to sit there and determine whether his co-star was telling the truth or spinning an elaborate fiction, just as audiences will have to decide what they believe about the characters these actors bring to life in THE HISTORY OF SOUND. The real game wasn’t lie versus lie, but the more complex challenge of distinguishing between different kinds of truth—the literal and the emotional, the factual and the essential.
In the end, whether Mescal’s fan story actually happened matters less than what it reveals about the strange territory actors occupy, somewhere between public and private, accessible yet vulnerable, always performing even when they’re supposedly just being themselves.
Taylor Swift just dropped the OPALITE music video and it`s giving major Irish vibes ☘️✨
The nearly 6-minute visual sees Domhnall Gleeson starring as Taylor`s love interest, playing two lonely souls who find each other. But here`s where it gets even better: eagle-eyed Swifties spotted cameos from Cillian Murphy and Graham Norton, making this a full-on Irish affair.
Want the full breakdown of this transatlantic collaboration? Head to our blog for all the details on how this stunning video came together. Link in bio! 🔗
The creator of DERRY GIRLS just dropped a murder mystery set at an Irish wake, and honestly? It`s the genre mashup we didn`t know we needed 🕵️♀️
Lisa McGee is back with HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST on Netflix, and if you loved how she found humor in the Troubles (Protestants! Toasters! Cupboards!), you`re going to eat this up.
Three friends reunite for their childhood bestie`s funeral, only to realize her death isn`t what it seems. Cue an eerie adventure across Ireland that`s equal parts creepy and hilarious.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
British Vogue just put Jessie Buckley on their February cover and it`s not just a magazine shoot—it`s a coronation.
Shot by Jack Davison on the windswept Norfolk coast near her home, these images are pure cinema. Sky, sea, and a woman at the exact moment her entire life is about to change.
She`s the frontrunner for Best Actress. HAMNET is destroying audiences. She`s a new mother standing at the edge of the kind of fame that alters everything.
And Vogue captured it all—the grit, the greatness, the quiet mastery that got her here.
More Jessie at irishfilmtv.com.
Caitriona Balfe has just landed her next major role in THE HOUSEKEEPER.
Set in a grand historic manor against Cornwall`s dramatic landscape, Balfe plays Danni, a housekeeper who falls into a forbidden affair with none other than writer Daphne du Maurier (played by Mackenzi Laird).
While we`re counting down to OUTLANDER`s final season premiere on Mar 6th, Balfe is already proving she`s so much more than Claire Fraser. 🔥
More Caitriona at irishfilmtv.com.
After over 20 years of mesmerizing us on screen, Saoirse Ronan is ready to call the shots—literally.
The four-time Oscar nominee is making her directorial debut with PAPER PLANE, an Irish short film she`s also writing, and honestly, this feels like the natural next chapter for someone who`s been acting since she was nine years old.
Details about PAPER PLANE are still under wraps, but with Ronan`s track record, expectations are sky-high. What are you most excited to see from her behind the camera? 🎬
More Saoirse at irishfilmtv.com.
Louis Paxton`s Sundance 2026 debut THE INCOMER stars Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, and Grant O`Rourke in a trio that`s equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking.
Think fish-out-of-water meets generational grief, wrapped in the warmth of fireside hot chocolate. Sometimes the scariest thing isn`t a legendary Fin Man—it`s letting go of the past.
Have you ever held onto something because changing felt like betrayal?
More Domhnall at irishfilmtv.com.
🎸 THE BEATLES ARE COMING BACK TO CINEMAS.
Four films. Four perspectives. One legendary band.
Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney. Harris Dickinson as John Lennon. Joseph Quinn as George Harrison. Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
The first look just dropped via postcards hidden around Liverpool`s performing arts campus and honestly?
The hype is REAL. 🔥
Sam Mendes is directing all four films, each told from a different Beatle`s POV, and they`re ALL releasing on the same day—April 7, 2028.
Which Beatle`s story are you most excited to see? 👇
Irish talent is absolutely dominating the 2026 BAFTA nominations! 🇮🇪✨
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal both scored major noms for HAMNET, with Buckley up for Leading Actress as Agnes and Mescal recognized for Supporting Actor as William Shakespeare. The film has basically swept the nominations, breaking records left and right.
But that`s just the beginning. Andrew Scott landed on the longlist for BLUE MOON, Robbie Ryan got recognized for his stunning cinematography on BUGONIA, and even Cillian Murphy appears as a producer on the STEVE longlist.
From performers to cinematographers to production companies like Element Pictures and Wild Atlantic Pictures, Irish voices are everywhere in this year`s race.
The ceremony hits London on February 22nd. The world is watching Irish cinema right now, and what a moment to witness. 🎬🔥
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Aidan Turner is about to prove the pen is mightier than the sword 🗡️
Fresh from his scene-stealing turn as Declan O`Hara in RIVALS, Turner takes on one of literature`s most dangerously charismatic figures: the Vicomte de Valmont in DANGEROUS LIAISONS.
Mar 21 to Jun 6 at @nationaltheatre - more at irishfilmtv.com.
