PAUL MESCAL HAS said his recent Oscar nomination for Best Actor was a “very welcome respite” for his family as his mother prepares for chemotherapy.

Mescal has been nominated for his role as a young father in the coming-of-age film Aftersun.

His sister, Nell Mescal, revealed that Paul Mescal was nominated for an Oscar on the same day his mother was getting a haircut in preparation for chemotherapy.

my mum got a haircut today in prep for her chemotherapy and then paul got nominated for an oscar life is so crazy

— nell mescal (@nellmescal_) January 24, 2023

“The universe works in very interesting ways”, remarked Mescal when speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

In what was his first interview since the nomination, Mescal said it’s been “overwhelming, especially for my family”.

He added that “something felt slightly absurd about it all” and noted that “there is stuff going on at home that is difficult”.

However, Mescal said: “This has given my family are very welcome respite and [that’s] something that I never thought that my job, as something that I love very dearly, could do”.

Mescal also revealed that he might not have started acting had it not been for the policy of his school.

“I went to Maynooth Post Primary and they have this policy that in transition year, they do the school musical and regardless of whether you want to be in it or not, everybody’s going to be in the school musical and you have to audition.

“And I definitely wanted to be in the musical but I feel like had it not been for that policy, I could have very much fallen through the cracks.

“I don’t know if I would have had the confidence to turn around to my friends who I was playing sport with and says, ‘yeah, I want to be in the school musical’.

“I’m sure I wasn’t the only person that got that feeling from that opportunity, but that has changed my life forever.”

Mescal also revealed that his now infamous turn in a Denny’s advert helps keep him grounded.

“If I ever feel like I get too big for my boots, that pops up somewhere, that we shouldn’t forget that I was promoting sausages when I got out of drama school,” Mescal told the Today programme.

It was also a learning experience for Mescal in dealing with food on set.

“I also didn’t know that you’re not supposed to eat them all,” said Mescal.

“They come around with a bucket that you’re supposed to spit them into, and that just felt rude to me.

“But I’ve learned my lesson that it’s better to do that than have to eat 15 sausages in a morning, that was an experience.”