Paul Mescal has come to a stage in his career where sometimes it is better to remain silent than to do publicity. One of the most closely monitored roles in the decade, the Irish actor who has an emotional track record of playing emotionally challenging characters and approaching fame with a moderate approach is about to take the stage. Mescal will play Paul McCartney in a huge project called The Beatles -A Four-Film Cinematic Event, a film project directed by Sam Mendes, which will be released in April 2028. The word alone is enough to bring anticipation around the world, not only on the topic of the announcement, but also the artistic force its announcement carries.
This project heralds a more complex time when the biopics of music are usually based on the imitation and nostalgia. The vision of Mendes is a four-part movie about each of the four members of The Beatles, which will provide the viewers with a more in-depth psychological and artistic treatment as opposed to one condensed story. The choice of casting Mescal as McCartney puts him in the center of the emotional and musical storyline and represents the character, whose impact influenced not only a band but the future of the modern popular music.
Mescal has been very composed in talking about the role and has opted to defend the project and his process too. He in an interview with Variety, that he confronted the curiosity directly, explaining, to be truthful, that he can say very little about it, in fact, he is legally required to say very little about it, but also he is just excited that people are as curious about it as they are. The comment sounds typically Mescal. Instead of speculation, he is inclined to wait till the moment when the work will speak.
What is known is, however, that Mescal is not going to McCartney as the icon of a bygone day, but as a living breathing artist. He has not merely drawn upon superficial imitation, but instead has made himself absorbed in the physicality, the voice, the creative rhythms, and the emotional presence of McCartney in the years of the Beatles formation. These involve researching the way McCartney presented himself on the stage, how he engaged with his band members, and how thoughts flowed in an extremely productive collaboration and pressure. The emphasis is not so much on the reproduction of well known moments but the comprehension of the instincts of those moments.
Amongst the most notable decisions that Mescal has made to play the role is playing the music himself. Live singing and not using studio records is more vulnerable and immediate and it brings the actor and musician closer. It is an ambitious decision, particularly entering the footprint of one of the most familiar voices in the history of music, however, it speaks to the promise of authenticity over protection, which Mescal opts to follow.
That devotion was further reinforced with personal contacts with McCartney himself. Mescal has encountered the retired Beatle several times and has not talked of the experience without apparent deference. He said McCartney was very kind and warm to him, which is not meaningless, considering the burden of the position. The meetings seem to have turned the project into more of a personal challenge as opposed to a professional one, basing the setting up of Mescal preparation on the human connection more than the myth.
It is also a logical continuation of Mescal related to the current work, especially to Hamnet where he played William Shakespeare in the prism of loss and imagination. Looking back on such an experience, Mescal made an obvious parallel between the two characters. I believe that it is closely connected with the impression I received when playing Shakespeare. It is a wild privilege to be able to play these creative forces and have some peep behind the curtain. In either the case, it is not that genius as spectacle is fascinating, but the emotional price and inner impetus to it.
To McCartney that push came at a time when he was in a place of unremitting productivity, widespread recognition and artistic conflict. It is likely that the characterization of Mescal will touch upon how such a melody as Yesterday or Let It Be was created not out of perfection, but through uncertainty, experimentation, and self-reflection. It is not to sound like McCartney, but to uncover the instances of uncertainty, aspiration and silent determination that inform his songwriting.
The bigger ensemble provides an additional weight to the project. Harris Dickinson will be John Lennon, Barry Keoghan will play Ringo Starr and Joseph Quinn will be George Harrison. The ensemble is the display of a cautious harmony of modern talent, each of whom is familiar with the representation of an emotional coloring and not theatrical bombast. Directed by Mendes, the movies are meant to honor personal opinions and to embody the unstable chemistry which characterized the band.
The move by Mescal to keep quiet, however, has only increased the curiosity but it equally signifies a larger change in the manner in which other actors view fame-seeking ventures. He does not succumb to explaining or trying to sell, thus letting anticipation to develop naturally. It implies the trust in the script and the direction, but also in the audience, who is willing to wait till something of significance comes.
The expectations are on the increase since the release date is still years away. The perception of live performances of voices, seeing new versions of familiar scenes and telling the story of The Beatles through the prism of various cinematic perspectives is both an opportunity and a threat. Precision, interpretation, and license to artistic freedom will inevitably be subject to discussion by fans and critics alike. The tension is inevitable when we are dealing with the cultural legends.
The only difference is that the magnitude of the project is not the most enticing part of the involvement of Mescal, but the consideration, in which he seems to be handling. This is done with a feeling that this description will neither make McCartney a god nor a lesser being but will seek to see him at his human face. It is yet to be seen whether that balance can appeal to the audiences, but the intent behind it, in itself, can be viewed as an indication of respecting history and storytelling.
