"Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor cannot do an interview together for their new film, The History of Sound, without cracking each other up. It's an affliction with no cure. Director Oliver Hermanus called them out after the film's premiere at Cannes. "It was a really strong bond," he said of his leading men, "and they were naughty." That naughtiness has not subsided - they laugh at each other's voices, their postures, their anecdotes."
"Over the past handful of years, O'Connor and Mescal have proven themselves generational talents specializing in open, emotional performances. They are "serious" actors - pushing their bodies ( Challengers, Gladiator 2), accents ( God's Own Country, All of Us Strangers), and abilities (speaking Italian in La Chimera, dancing in Carmen) - but not serious people, as evidenced from their comparing poses on the red carpet or riffing back and forth mid-red-carpet interview."
Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor repeatedly break into laughter during joint interviews, trading impressions, mimicked postures and anecdotes. Their on-screen work remains emotionally open and serious, with both taking physical and vocal risks across diverse roles. Their playful red-carpet behavior and off-camera silliness contrast with the muted, unsaid emotional landscape of The History of Sound. The film centers on stolen glances, long silences and restrained expressions of care, building toward a bleak conclusion. The actors' visible camaraderie makes their real-life bond seem more resolved than the film's characters, suggesting a private warmth beyond the story's melancholy.
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