Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott still “hang out all the time”, says director Andrew Haigh. (Searchlight Picture/Chris Harris/20th Century Studios)
Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott still “hang out all the time” after playing lovers in Andrew Haigh’s upcoming film All of Us Strangers, says the director.
The excitement surrounding this queer fantasy film has been second-to-none, with fans fit to burst as they wait for the two Irish heartthrobs to appear on the big screen next month.
Part of that excitement is down to just how much we’ve heard about Scott, 47, and Mescal’s, 27, chemistry on-set.
First, it was director Andrew Haigh, 50, who couldn’t speak highly enough of the actors, who put their all into developing a chemistry that “felt real” and performing “fearless” sex scenes.
Then, as soon as the film made its debut at the 50th Telluride Film Festival, critics who were lucky enough to catch an early glimpse couldn’t help but agree.
Now, Haigh has spilled that his two leading men bonded so well on-set that they still “hang out all the time.”
Haigh surely knew exactly what he was doing when he teased details of Mescal and Scott’s strong friendship at the 2023 Gotham Awards on Monday night (27 November).
Speaking to People at the awards, Haigh gushed over how Scott and Mescal “were so excited to work with each other, and I think that meant so much to them.”
He continued: “And they’re really good friends now. They hang out all the time, and so something special was created when they were working together, and they’re still so close.
“They still like each other and they still text and see each other all the time.”
In All of Us Strangers, Scott plays Adam, a quiet gay screenwriter who develops a relationship with his mysterious neighbour Harry, played by Mescal.
As their relationship blossoms, Adam is drawn back to his home in a suburban area of Croydon, where he encounters his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) as ghosts, looking exactly the same as they did when they died, 30 years before.
Through his paranormal encounters, Adam manages to come out to his mother and father and begins to immerse himself in his romance with Harry. He’s also able to ask his deceased parents the questions he never got an answer to when they were alive.
Looking back, Haigh says he couldn’t imagine casting anyone else in the roles of Adam and Harry, telling People: “I can’t even picture what anybody else would be like.
“And they have amazing chemistry. They’re both so soulful and they’re brilliant actors, and they bring the film to life.
“They are the things that bring the magic in the movie. So yeah, I’m so happy with them.”
The director also briefly touched on what viewers can expect from the highly anticipated film, explaining that he expects it will “speak to different people in different ways.”
He added: “And that’s what I’ve been so happy about in the film, is that lots of different people are responding to it in their own personal ways, and that, to me, makes me really happy.”
All of Us Strangers is due to open in the US on 22 December and in cinemas in the UK and Ireland on 26 January, 2024.