Paul Mescal has revealed that "people will get a break from (him)" between the Hamnet awards campaign and the 2028 release of the Beatles films.
The Irish actor has been booked and busy since his breakout role in the 2020 miniseries Normal People, and he has had a particularly prolific few years with releases such as All of Us Strangers, Gladiator II, The History of Sound and Hamnet.
During an interview with The Guardian, Mescal revealed that he plans to lay low once the awards season ends in March and not be seen in another screen project until 2028's four-film Beatles event, in which he'll play Paul McCartney.
"Once I've finished promoting that (Hamnet), I hope nobody gets to see me until 2028 when I'm doing the Beatles. People will get a break from me and I'll get a break from them," he declared.
The 29-year-old, who plays William Shakespeare in Chloe Zhao's moving drama, admitted that he can't keep making as many films as he has been since his breakthrough.
"I'm five or six years into this now, and I feel very lucky. But I'm also learning that I don't think I can go on doing it as much," he acknowledged, before admitting that he might have to start rationing himself.
"Rationing doesn't necessarily mean less," he continued, before explaining, "It means learning that films like The History of Sound take more out of the well. You can't keep going back and expect to consistently deliver something you're proud of. What that rationing looks like, I don't know. I miss being on stage, so I might have a time when I'm only doing theatre for a couple of years. I also have different priorities in my personal life that I want to attend to."
Mescal, who is dating singer Gracie Abrams, was then asked if he was concerned about his career losing momentum.
"That's the great fear," he replied. "But what's the alternative? I don't want to resent the thing I love. This sounds bold, but I'd rather not be on the train if that is the choice."
The four-film Beatles project, which also stars Barry Keoghan, Harris Dickinson and Joseph Quinn, will be released in April 2028.
Before then, however, Mescal is slated to return to the stage in A Whistle in the Dark and Death of a Salesman in 2027.
