ACTOR PAUL MESCAL has given his fans some relief by clarifying that he is “not retiring” after remarks he made last week about “rationing” his workload.

The 29-year-old from Kildare, who has been doing the promotion rounds for his latest film Hamnet, has said he plans to stay busy over the coming years – it just might be a while before he has another finished project to promote.

In an interview with The Guardian published last week, Mescal said that he was five or six years into his career and that he was “learning that I don’t think I can go on doing it as much”.

Asked whether he is rationing himself, he said: “I think so. I’m gonna have to start doing that. For sure.”

He said rationing wouldn’t necessarily mean working less but would be about learning that some films “take more out of the well” than others.

His comments were widely picked up and sparked speculation about whether he might be intending to pull back from his acting career.

However, he has assured fans that he “couldn’t be further from retiring”.

Speaking to Variety at the Critics Choice Awards last night, Mescal was asked to address the retirement rumours.

He laughed them away, saying: “I’ve nothing to promote after Hamnet for two years, but I’m not retiring. I’m going to busy for the next two years.”

Paul Mescal shuts down retirement rumors, saying, “I couldn’t be further from retiring. I just have nothing to promote after 'Hamnet' for the next two years.”#CriticsChoiceAwards pic.twitter.com/l19ptNrec0

— Variety (@Variety) January 4, 2026

Mescal was nominated at the awards for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Hamnet.

The film’s lead actress Jessie Buckley, who is from Kerry, took home the award for best actress.

Mescal’s next scheduled movie release is The Beatles biopic in 2028, which will consist of four films released at once, with each film focusing on a member of the group.