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Paul Mescal: Actor talks about his fury after 'creepy' fan groped him

Getty Images Paul MescalGetty Images
Paul Mescal pictured at the press night after party for A Streetcar Named Desire

Oscar nominee Paul Mescal has spoken of his anger after a fan groped him after asking for a photo outside the theatre where he was performing.

"As we posed for it, she put her hand on my ass," he told ES Magazine.

The Irish actor had been outside London's Almeida Theatre, where he was starring in A Streetcar Named Desire.

"I thought it was an accident, so I like [moved away]. But the hand followed. I remember tensing up and feeling just, like, fury."

Watch: Paul Mescal tells the BBC his Oscar nomination is giving his family a respite after difficult times

Asked what he did next, Mescal replied: "I turned to her and said, 'What're you doing? Take your hand off my ass'."

He told the newspaper that calling somebody out in front of the theatre was "the last thing I want to do", saying: "It's uncomfortable for everyone involved.

"But it was really not OK. It was so gross, creepy."

He added that 97% of fame so far was "really nice" but the other 3% was "somebody, like, grabbing your ass".

Mescal has won rave reviews for playing Stanley in the Tennessee Williams play, which will transfer to the West End next month.

He is also up for best actor at this year's Oscars for his role in Aftersun, playing Calum, a man with mental health issues who is on holiday with his 11-year-old daughter.

The Artists Partnership Frankie Corio with Paul MescalThe Artists Partnership
Frankie Corio stars with Paul Mescal in Aftersun

He is up against Austin Butler for Elvis, Colin Farrell for The Banshees of Inisherin, Brendan Fraser for The Whale and Bill Nighy for Living, and was also a best actor nominee at the Baftas.

Speaking about the Oscars ceremony on 12 March, he said: "'Look, I'm not going to win. So it's kind of low-stakes pressure, I can basically just sit back and enjoy it."