Paul Mescal On 'Lazy And Frustrating' Film Criticisms
Paul Mescal has admitted he's not happy with one comparison that's been made about his new film.
The Oscar nominee is currently in Cannes promoting his new film The History Of Sound, in which he and Josh O'Connor play two men who fall in love in the early 20th century, while travelling around recording the folk songs and stories of American countrymen after World War I.
Speaking at a Cannes press conference, Paul was asked by Metro about the film being compared to Brokeback Mountain, another romantic drama set in a similar period, which centred around a same-sex love story.
The Normal People star responded: 'When I look at Brokeback Mountain, it's dealing with repression. This film is pointed in the opposite direction. To be honest, I find those comparisons lazy and frustrating.'
Paul Mescal finds comparisons between his new film with Josh O'Connor 'The History Of Sound' and 'Brokeback Mountain' 'lazy and frustrating' #Cannes2025 pic.twitter.com/TJ0wYhSxXR
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) May 22, 2025
Deadline / Via x.com
Brokeback Mountain premiered at the Venice Film Festival 20 years ago, winning the Golden Lion and later scoring Oscar nominations for its leads Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, as well as their co-star Michelle Williams.
Director Oliver Hermanus insisted in Cannes that Brokeback Mountain 'wasn't in our heads' when he and his team were making The History Of Sound.
He added that the comparison 'just shows there should be more forms about these nuances of queer relationships, beyond the context most movies deal with'.
The History Of Sound premiered in Cannes on Wednesday night, where it received a standing ovation that lasted between six and nine minutes (depending on which outlet you believe).
It's also been well-received by critics, landing an enviable score of 75% on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes the morning after its premiere.
Both Paul and Josh have appeared in big-screen queer love stories before, with the former sharing the screen with Andrew Scott in 2023's All Of Us Strangers.
Josh also had his breakthrough moment in Francis Lee's God's Own Country, before he was cast in the likes of The Crown and Challengers.
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