Paul Mescal speaks further on an incident with a fan who groped him while taking a selfie outside of the theater.
Actor Paul Mescal has spoken out about an uncomfortable encounter with a female fan who groped him outside the Almeida theatre in north London, where he was performing in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire. The Irish actor said that the woman “put her hand on my ass” as they posed for a photograph together.
Initially, Mescal thought it was an accident, but the woman persisted, causing him to confront her. While Mescal was uncomfortable calling someone out in public, he felt it was necessary to do so to prevent similar incidents from happening to other performers.
“As we posed for it, she put her hand on my ass,” he said. “I thought it was an accident, so I like [moved away] but the hand followed.
“I remember tensing up and feeling just, like, fury. I turned to her and said: ‘What’re you doing? Take your hand off my ass.’”
This incident highlights the growing issue of abusive and rowdy behavior in theaters. As a result, the UK’s largest theater operator, Ambassador Theatre Group, is working with producers to discourage ad campaigns that might encourage such behavior. This includes avoiding phrases such as “best party in town” and “dancing in the aisles,” which have been associated with unruly audience behavior.
Mescal’s experience of being groped by a fan also highlights the negative side of his growing fame. While he acknowledged that 97% of his experiences with fans have been positive, the remaining 3% can be difficult to deal with.
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“97% of it is really nice – then 3% is somebody, like, grabbing your ass.”
Mescal is best known for his role as Connell in the BBC’s adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People. He has recently starred in the independent film Aftersun and received several best actor nominations. A Streetcar Named Desire, in which he stars opposite Patsy Ferran, was originally scheduled to run at the Almeida theater but will now be transferred to the West End’s Phoenix theater in March.
