Normal People's Paul Mescal to star in new music video for The Rolling Stones

It's a pretty huge gig!

Author: Emma DoddsPublished 4th Aug 2020
Last updated 7th Aug 2020

Irish actor Paul Mescal is having a pretty bumper year so far. Not only has he basically shot to fame overnight since starring in Normal People earlier this year, he's now been nominated for an Emmy for the role and also has a new TV series out this week called The Deceived.

But the highlight of his year so far will surely be starring in the brand new music video for 'Scarlet' by The Rolling Stones, originally recorded in 1974. The song will appear on a reedited re-release of the band's 1973 album 'Goats Head Soup'.

Confirming his appearance in the music video today, the band have released a 17-second teaser for the video which will be unveiled in full on Thursday (6th Aug) at 7pm. They wrote, 'The official video for Scarlet featuring Paul Mescal will premiere this Thursday 7pm BST / 11am PST on the Rolling Stones YouTube Channel.'

They also revealed that the premiere will include 'a very special introduction from @mickjagger & @mescal_paul you won’t want to miss,' so that's a must-see if ever we heard one.

The 24-year-old actor has retweeted the announcement, simply adding, 'Out this Thursday!' as a comment above it. Although we can't tell much of what will happen in the video from the short clip, we're mainly just excited to see more Paul!

This news comes after Paul's performance with Dermot Kennedy last Thursday (30th July) at London's Natural History Museum, where he took to the stage with spoken word pieces in between songs sang by Dermot.

Scroll through to see Paul Mescal's biggest career moments so far:

2013: Gaelic football

Before his acting career took off, Paul played Gaelic football at a high level for Irish team Kildare GAA. Playing as a defender, Paul won a Leinster minor medal in 2013 and even went on to captain the team in 2014!


A jaw injury, as well as a love for acting, put Paul's football career on the back burner, but he was able to revisit it playing the role of Connell in Normal People.

2017: The Great Gatsby and more theatre shows

Fresh from graduating at The Lir Academy at Trinity College Dublin, Paul was offered the lead role in a theatre production of The Great Gatsby.


As well as playing the lead role of Jay Gatsby, Paul went on to play the Prince in a theatre production of The Red Shoes at the Gate Theatre in Dublin.


He has since appeared in a number of other theatre shows in Dublin, including The Plough and the Stars, Asking For It, and The Lieutenant of Inishmore.

2018: Denny's sausages

In 2018 Paul starred in a brilliant advert for Irish sausage company Denny's sausages!


The ad was titled 'Seize the Denny' and featured Paul tucking into some tasty looking sausages, before being inspired to go travelling by creator Henry Denny.

2020: Normal People

Paul got his big acting break in 2019 when it was announced he'd been cast as main character Connell Waldron in the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney's 2018 novel Normal People.


Starring alongside English actress Daisy Edgar-Jones, Paul plays the role of a college student, with the show following the will-they-won't-they relationship between the two lead characters.


Since the show first aired in April 2020, Paul's been shot into the limelight, receiving a tonne of praise across the world for his acting skills.

2020: The Late Late Show

After the success of Normal People not only in the UK, but around the globe, Paul appeared via video chat with his co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones, on The Late Late Show with James Corden.


In what was his first ever late night talk show appearance, Paul spoke about the amazing response Normal People has received.

2020: The Graham Norton Show

In May, Paul joined host Graham Norton for a chat over video call on The Graham Norton Show. As well as discussing the show, Paul found out just how much Normal People fans love Connell's chain.

2020: Save The Stories

In June 2020, Paul joined Save The Children's 'Save With Stories campaign' where he read out Elmer and Super El by author David McKee, a story about a friendship of two elephants.

2020: Emmy nomination

Following his amazing performance in Normal People, Paul was nominated for and Emmy in the category 'Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie'.


Paul's Normal People co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones congratulated her friend online, writing, 'I could not be more proud of these two utterly incredible people, working with you both has been one of the greatest joys of my life. Also huge congrats to @louisekielycasting, you're incredible, and also Sally and Alice and @element_pictures, we smashed it 💥.' (sic)

2020: Virtual gig with Dermot Kennedy

Paul teamed up with Irish singer Dermot Kennedy in July 2020, for a special gig at the Natural History Museum in London.


Speaking about a potential collab between the pair in the future, Dermot said, "Who knows? I love the idea of Irish creatives looking out for each other and collaborating."

2020: The Deceived

Paul starred in four-part Channel 5 thriller The Deceived, playing the role of a volunteer firefighter called Sean.


The actor appeared alongside Hollyoaks and Peaky Blinders star Emmett J. Scanlan, Belgravia actress Emily Reid, and Derry Girls actor Ian McElhinney.

2021: The Lost Daughter

Paul played the role of Will in 2021 psychological drama film The Lost Daughter. Paul starred alongside a stellar cast including Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley, Dagmara Domińczyk, Jack Farthing, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Peter Sarsgaard, and Ed Harris.

2022: Aftersun

In 2022, Paul featured in coming-of-age drama film Aftersun, playing the role of Calum Paterson. Following his appearance, Paul received a BAFTA Film nomination and an Oscar nomination for his role.

2022: God's Creatures

Also in 2022, Paul starred alongside the likes of Emily Watson, Aisling Franciosi, Declan Conlon and Toni O'Rourke in psychological drama film God's Creatures.

2022: Carmen

2022 was a busy year for Paul, with the actor also starring in musical drama Carmen. He played the role of Brian O'Hara alongside actors Melissa Barrera and Rossy de Palma.

2022-2023: A Streetcar Named Desire

Heading back into the world of theatre, Paul played the role of Stanley Kowalski in popular play A Streetcar Named Desire. Paul was awarded with an Olivier Award for Best Actor!

2023: Paul begins filming for Gladiator 2

Gladiator fans have a lot to look forward to, as not only is Ridley Scott's iconic Oscar-winning 2000 film getting a sequel in 2024, but it will star none other than Paul Mescal himself, playing the role of Lucius, the son of Lucilla. 2023 saw the actor begin filming for the highly-anticipated film, with Ouarzazate, Morocco, set as the filming location and the scheduled release date being 22nd November 2024.

2024: All Of Us Strangers

Paul starred alongside fellow Irish actor Andrew Scott in romantic fantasy drama All Of Us Strangers. Although it officially premiered at a film festival in August 2023, the heartbreaking movie was released in cinemas in January 2024 and follows a writer who is forced to confront his childhood traumas. Paul won the British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Performance, as well as being nominated for a British Academy Film Award in the same category. It's now available to watch on Disney+.

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