Paul Mescal Says Oscar Nomination Has Given Family a 'Welcome Respite' amid Mom's Chemotherapy Treatment

Paul Mescal's first-ever Oscar nomination has been extra special for the actor and his loved ones.

On Thursday, the 27-year-old spoke with BBC Radio 4's Today about his success following both his breakout role in Hulu's 2020 hit series Normal People and his recent Academy Award nomination for Aftersun.

"There's stuff going on at home that is difficult, and this has given my family a very welcome respite, and [it's] something I never thought that my job – something that I love very dearly – could do," said Paul.

His comments come after his younger sister, Nell Mescal, tweeted following her brother's big news, "My mum got a haircut today in prep for her chemotherapy and then paul got nominated for an oscar life is so crazy."

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"The universe works in very interesting ways," Paul said Thursday when asked about his sister's tweet, going on to share that he and his family are "gonna have a great time" at the Oscars next month, where they will all be in attendance in Los Angeles.

Despite their obvious excitement over Paul's success, the actor admitted "it's all a bit overwhelming, especially for my family."

"I don't think anybody, or even I, was expecting this," he explained. "I always knew that I was willing to work hard, but from the time of graduating from drama school to now hasn't been an awfully long time."

"But then the [Oscar] nominations came out, and BAFTAs the week before … something felt slightly absurd about it all," Paul added.

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Shortly after the Oscar nominations announcement on Jan. 24, Nell, 19, shared a screenshot of the family FaceTime call on Twitter, where they all reacted to Paul's first-ever nomination.

Nell held her hands over her mouth, clearly in shock, as her mother, father and brother Donnacha had equally excited expressions on their faces. Paul, like his parents and siblings, looked to be in a state of shock and awe as the whole family experienced the moment together.

"This is truly a special moment for everyone involved in Aftersun," Paul said in a statement at the time. "To be recognized by the Academy is such an insane honor and I'm so utterly grateful."

The Irish actor added, "I want to dedicate this nomination to my two friends Charlotte and Frankie who I love dearly! This is bananas, thank you!"

Paul — who's originally from Maynooth, a town located about 20 miles outside of Dublin — is joined in the Best Actor category by Austin Butler (Elvis), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Brendan Fraser (The Whale) and Bill Nighy (Living).