Saoirse Ronan’s close friend Paul Mescal breaks silence on viral TV moment

Paul Mescal has spoken out after a clip from his recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show alongside Saoirse Ronan went viral.

The Gladiator actor, 28, praised the fellow Irish actress, 30, during an appearance on RTE’s The Late Late Show, saying she “hit the nail on the head” as she reacted to a comment Paul made about his training regime for his role in The Day Of The Jackal, and how he was taught to use a phone as a weapon during an attack. 

“If someone attacks me I’m not going to go – phone”, the Normal People actor said, with Saoirse quipping: “That’s what girls have to think about all the time. Am I right ladies?”. 

During his RTE interview, Paul was asked if he was surprised by the reaction to Saoirse’s comment. “No, I don’t believe we were surprised, because you’re like, as you said, you’re on a talk show like this, and you’re kind of just talking,” he replied.

“But I’m not surprised that the message received as much attention that it got, because it’s massively important and I’m sure you’ve had Saoirse on the show, like, she’s…quite often, more often than not, the most intelligent person in the room,” the All of Us Strangers actor continued.

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“But I think she…was spot on, hit the nail on the head, and it’s also good that…messages like that are kind of gaining traction, like that’s a conversation that we should absolutely be having on a daily basis.”

A viral moment

The clip gained major attention on social media with fans praising the Blitz actress for raising awareness of concerns women often feel for their own safety. 

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“Truly appreciated her comments about women and girls on Graham Norton,” wrote one supporter, while another added: “Love and appreciate what she said on Graham Norton.” 

A third fan penned: “A perfect comment on Graham Norton about how women and girls feel about their safety. Please say thank you from a mum and her three girls.” 

Saoirse’s reaction

Though Paul Mescal has said he wasn’t surprised by the reaction, Saoirse had a different response. 

Speaking on Virgin Radio UK, the Brooklyn actress said: “The reaction has been wild. It’s definitely not something that I had expected, and I didn’t necessarily set out to sort of make a splash. 

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“But I do think there’s something really telling about the society that we’re in right now and about how open women want to be with the men in their lives.”