Being a young actor can be incredibly difficult. What you do as soon as you break onto the scene can define you for the rest of your life. Elijah Wood, for better or worse, will always be known as Frodo, rather than for his excellent work in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or Sin City. Paul Mescal was at this defining moment of his career after the smash hit Normal People, where he portrayed a young Irish man working his way through the ups and downs of a tumultuous romance. Sure, there was a lot of depth and vulnerability to his performance, but it seemed that he would end up as another young actor staying in a lane, instead of taking challenging, daring roles.

His performance in Charlotte Wells' masterful debut Aftersun destroyed that notion. Mescal is an absolute force in the film, playing the role with the weight of someone decades older than him. He is the next person in a long lineage of young actors taking leaps of faith, and rewarding everyone with a performance that no one will ever forget.

Mescal's Performance Is Reminiscent of Pacino

A young girl leaning against her sleeping father in Aftersun.
Image via A24

This requires some contextualization. What Mescal does in this role goes beyond good acting. It is a risky move. If he blows this role, he will be defined by that. He is baring his soul as Calum, displaying a vulnerability that is certainly not easy to unearth from one's self. This performance was reminiscent of two other actors who took a big chance on a role, and struck gold. The first one that came to mind was Al Pacino as Sonny Wortzik in Sidney Lumet's 1975 classic Dog Day Afternoon. Pacino, hot off his iconic performances in The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, went for a more demanding role. Sonny, based off the real life bank robber John Wojtowicz, is robbing a bank to pay for his partner's gender-affirming surgery. This would be a controversial role now, but in 1975 it was almost unthinkable.

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Yet, Pacino portrays Sonny, and his relationship to his partner Leon, with the utmost respect. Their phone call together is one of the best scenes in the entire film, and Pacino portrays the highs and lows of the bank robbery with incredible precision amidst a chaotic scene. The parallel between Mescal and Pacino is taking on such a sensitive, important topic in their role. Mescal portrays depression in a manner that we haven't seen an actor do in a very long time. Mental illness in men is often portrayed in cinema as either lovesick and heartbroken, or violent tendencies bubbling underneath the surface. Mescal portrays it with all of its crushing weight, crying out for help, while also trying to care for his daughter. He, much like Pacino, takes a subject that is often ridiculed and stereotyped by cinema, and society as whole, and gives it the respectful portrayal it deserves.

Similarities to 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me'

aftersun-frankie-corio-paul-mescal
Image via A24

One of the main themes of Aftersun is memory, and what can be unearthed from looking back. What was going on right under your nose? This was reminiscent of another performance, Sheryl Lee as Laura Palmer in David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. What resonated the most between Lee's performance and Mescal's performance is what they portray to others versus what they portray when they are alone. Both are leading lives that have not ended up where they want them to be. Laura carries the weight of abuse, while simultaneously carrying the weight of all the expectations the town of Twin Peaks places upon her. As that facade slowly cracks, and she spirals down and down, we see a deep pain within her that defines not only the film, but the entire Twin Peaks saga.

Mescal moves similarly, The way he acts in front of his daughter Sophie (Frankie Corso) is often loving and caring. He holds back his feelings to try and make a good life for his daughter, but ultimately it's the fact that this is his life now that is causing him such pain. We see a conflict within him. He is 31, yet he is thrust into a life years beyond that, parenting a child that he had at 20. In one of the few private moments we see of him, he is sobbing with his back turned to the camera, alone in his hotel room. The audience is denied access, and is left with no idea what is really going on inside Calum, much like Sophie. Only Mescal and Wells can really know what he is feeling at that moment. Mescal is channeling something from within, beyond just acting. He and Lee both leave parts of themselves embedded into the film itself.

Why Mescal's Performance Was so Special

a man and his daughter on a boat in the sea

Pacino and Lee's work have both been championed as some of the best ever put to film; Pacino from the time of release, and Lee retrospectively, with her brilliance only being recognized years after release. Mescal was recognized immediately, with an Oscar nomination at only 27, two years after his breakout performance. What makes his work in Aftersun stand out so much is that in a time when it seems like so many great actors spend their early periods in franchises, Mescal took on a role that wasn't easy. He could have easily settled into playing an Irish guy in a rom-com, and nobody would blame him for that. Yet he took a chance on a first-time director in Charlotte Wells, and on a role that would require a lot of heavy lifting from him.

2022 saw a lot of excellent performances. Colin Farrell in The Banshees of Inisherin, Daniel Kaluuya in Nope, Cate Blanchett in Tár. Mescal holds his own among all of these heavyweights, from today, and from what came before him. He took a big gamble, bet on himself, and won. His Oscar nomination was a pleasant surprise that a performance like his can still get the credit it deserves. He has solidified himself as one of the best actors of his generation, with a career ahead of him brimming with promise. Taking a risk is worth it sometimes.