Paul Mescal was lying in a hotel bed in Australia, fresh out of quarantine, when he first read THE HISTORY OF SOUND. It was just before Christmas, and he’d been shooting Benjamin Millepied’s CARMEN when the script arrived. Alone and restless, he started reading, and before long he was crying. There’s a scene, he remembers, barely an eighth of a page, where the older version of Lionel eats tinned peaches straight from the can, and it destroyed him completely. He thought it was a perfect screenplay, and the fact that it was Ben Shattuck’s first made it all the more remarkable. He wanted the film made immediately, which makes him laugh now because what he learned, of course, is that films don’t get made overnight.
For audiences, Mescal’s shift from vengeful gladiator to gentle introspective folklorist might seem like a leap, but to him it was a straight line. He says it’s the longest he’s ever lived with a character, having read the script in 2020, and he’s never walked onto a set understanding someone as well as he understood Lionel. There was excitement in that and pressure too. GLADIATOR II was a totally different physical undertaking, he explains, laughing about how in the last two weeks of shooting he was on a treadmill for three hours a day trying to lose the frame he’d built, but in terms of where he feels most at home, characters like Lionel are definitely closer to him.
Mescal has become known for roles that allow him to express vulnerability, in AFTERSUN, NORMAL PEOPLE, and Chloé Zhao’s forthcoming HAMNET, but THE HISTORY OF SOUND may be the most space he’s been given yet for that quality. Over the last five years he’s been able to become increasingly selective, and his Academy Award nomination for AFTERSUN changed the practical realities of his career. Oscar nominations are great for getting films off the ground, he says, but he hasn’t really had time to reflect on how it’s changed him as a person. He’s more comfortable knowing himself as a performer, though he’d be wary of any actor claiming they know themselves better because of success. He finds out a lot about himself while playing a character, he says, and then forgets it immediately because you’re trying to figure out something else about somebody else’s psychology.
Central to the film is the music itself, a blend of traditional American folk styles, most now obscure except for songs like “Silver Dagger”. Mescal, O’Connor and Hermanus worked with singer-songwriter Sam Amidon, whose voice blends with theirs throughout the film, alongside performances by a range of folk artists whose songs the characters record on their travels. The act of David recording and Lionel transcribing is, Mescal says, almost like a romantic exchange.
Killarney`s own Jessie Buckley just took home the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress for HAMNET, and her acceptance speech was pure gold 🏆✨
In HAMNET, Buckley delivers a devastating performance as Agnes, William Shakespeare`s wife, navigating the grief of losing their 11-year-old son. Critics are calling it unforgettable, and now she has the trophy to prove it 🎬💚
More Jessie at irishfilmtv.com.
HAMNET star Jessie Buckley shines in BEAST, now on #Netflix.
A troubled woman living in an isolated community finds herself pulled between the control of her oppressive family and the allure of a secretive outsider suspected of a series of brutal murders.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🕺✨ DANCING WITH THE STARS IRELAND is back for S9 tonight!
Get ready for spray tans, sequins, and Sunday night sparkle because Ireland`s favourite winter escape is almost here. Who`s ready to vote their faves to victory? 💃
More at irishfilmtv.com.
** Now on Netflix **
RUN AWAY brings Harlan Coben back to form with James Nesbitt doing what he does best—playing a tormented father searching for his missing daughter against all advice.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Available everywhere January 1st!
The fight that divided a nation is finally on screen. SAIPAN brings the infamous 2002 World Cup showdown between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy to life, and it`s absolutely electric. ⚡
Éanna Hardwicke is a revelation as Keane—capturing that legendary intensity, rage, and surprising humor. Steve Coogan matches him beat for beat as McCarthy. This isn`t just sports drama; it`s a masterclass in casting and a story we`re still arguing about 20+ years later.
More at irishflmtv.com.
By order of the Peaky Blinders, Merry Christmas!
A teaser for the new film PEAKY BLINDERS: THE IMMORTAL MAN just dropped, and it features Cillian Murphy’s gangster Tommy Shelby returning to his old ways despite leaving them all behind at the end of the TV series.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
Domhnall Gleeson heads to a remote Scottish isle for THE INCOMER!
He plays an awkward council worker tasked with relocating two siblings who survive by hunting seabirds, talking to mythical beings, and fiercely defending their homeland from outsiders.
More Domhnall at irishfilmtv.com.
Andrew Scott is bringing one of theater`s most powerful true stories to life.
The ALL OF US STRANGERS star will portray Scottish actor Ian Charleson in ELSINORE, chronicling Charleson`s breathtaking final performance as Hamlet at London`s National Theatre before his death in 1990 at age 40.
More via irishfilmtv.com.
Belfast-born Ciaran Hinds shines in Bradley Copper`s IS THIS THING ON?
With Hinds, you`re not just getting an actor. You`re getting decades of gravitas, warmth, and that rare ability to make every scene feel like it matters. From prestige drama to fantasy epics, he`s built a career on understated brilliance. And now? He`s ready to find the humor in heartbreak.
More Ciaran at irishfilmtv.com.
Gothic drama LIES WE TELL is now on Netflix.
With powerful performances by Agnes O`Casey and David Wilmot, the Irish drama takes Sheridan Le Fanu`s classic novel UNCLE SILAS and transforms it into something urgent and vital for our moment.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
When Colin Farrell and Jessie Buckley finally sat down together, they were strangers—but within moments, the conversation became profound.
Both Irish actors are carrying the weight of devastating roles this year: Farrell as a gambling addict spiraling in Macau in BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER, Buckley as Agnes Shakespeare grieving her son in HAMNET.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
From FAIR CITY to KNIVES OUT! Daryl McCormack shines in the new #netflix film WAKE UP DEAD MAN.
McCormack just wrapped Netflix`s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE opposite Jack Lowden, Emma Corrin, and Olivia Colman. Talk about range: trading viral grift for Jane Austen elegance. Same actor, different century, wildly different moral compass.
More Daryl at irishfilmtv.com.
Eve Hewson brings ghosts to life in Noah Baumbach`s JAY KELLY.
From her breakout in THIS MUST BE THE PLACE to BAD SISTERS and beyond, she`s now haunting George Clooney as Daphne—a face from the past that forces a movie star to confront who he became while chasing fame.
More Eve at irishfilmtv.com.
When the past catches up with you in Amsterdam 🌊
Ciarán Hinds and Lesley Manville star in MIDWINTER BREAK—a retired couple`s winter getaway becomes a reckoning with memories they`ve tried to outrun for decades, in theatres Feb 20.
New trailer at irishfilmtv.com.
James Nesbitt is back in Harlan Coben`s twisted universe. 🔍
RUN AWAY drops January 1st on #Netflix — and this one`s personal.
When Simon (Nesbitt) finally finds his missing daughter strung out in a city park, it`s supposed to be a second chance. Instead, it`s the beginning of a nightmare.
New trailer at irishfilmtv.com.
