Paul Mescal has revealed how a brutal childhood injury helped him win a role in Gladiator II. The Aftersun actor (28) plays Lucius Verus in the Ridley Scott-directed blockbuster, which came out last November.

Paul Mescal has revealed how an injury which caused him 'great concern in secondary school' may have landed him his biggest gig to date.

Mescal’s breakout portrayal of Connell Waldron in Normal People catapulted the Irish actor to fame. The series, an adaptation of Sally Rooney’s 2018 bestselling novel, centered on social outcast Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and popular student Connell (Mescal). It followed them through their high school and college on-again, off-again romance.

Paul Mescal lied about having a driver's license to get cast as Connell on 'Normal People.' Here's how he landed the part with just a provisional license.

Paul Mescal didn’t let not having a driver’s license stop him from landing his role in Normal People. The 28-year-old actor admitted in an interview with W Magazine that he fibbed about his abilities behind the wheel in order to secure his role as Connell in the hit 2020 Hulu series.