Paul Mescal’s proud mother, Dearbhla, was so nervous awaiting this year’s Oscar nominations that she threw it in the trash for a little washing up instead.
On Tuesday, January 25, Mescal was nominated for best actor for his portrayal of troubled teenage father Calum in Aftersun.
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He now faces off against Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Austin Butler (Elvis), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), and Bill Nighy (Living) for gong at a ceremony in Los Angeles on March 12.
This was Mescal’s first major lead role, and he FaceTimed the family to celebrate the occasion – completed by father Paul, mother Dearbhla, sister Nell and son Donnacha – so they can all relive the moment together.
Dearbhla, who still lives in Ireland, spoke to RTE about her candidacy prospect, explaining that she was so nervous on behalf of her son that she was dragged into household chores to get over it.
“We’re so lucky, Donnacha was sitting in her office in New York, Nelly was in London, went straight to her apartment,” he said. “It is an honor to watch him in this arena, I was very touched today.
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“The fact that I can see their three faces today, their love for each other as brothers is unrivaled, I am very happy.”
He added that when Mescal was officially confirmed as a candidate, he folded the laundry.
Nell then fueled the family’s excitement and revealed that this was a much-needed boost to the Mescal oyster as Dearbhla prepared to begin chemotherapy for her cancer treatment.
“I’m so proud it made me sick,” she wrote on Instagram, and later part of the call with “how did this happen?” shared with the title.
“My mom got a haircut today while she was getting ready for chemotherapy and then she was nominated for a Paul Oscar, life is crazy,” she added.
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Mescal later made his own statement on the nomination, saying: “This is a truly special moment for everyone involved with Aftersun.
“It is such a crazy honor to be recognized by the academy and I am so grateful.
“I want to dedicate this nomination to my two friends, Charlotte. [Wells, director] and Frankie [Corio, co-star] Who I love more than my life! That’s banana, thank you!”
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