Paul Mescal's Starter Pack of Cultural Essentials

"I remember seeing it in drama school. I remember being so profoundly moved by it. I remember being so frightened by the performances in terms of seeing both sides to the thing that I think for most of us is, the most alive thing in our life, which is these, like, romantic relationships and the kind of inception of those things and the death of those things."

"He's got a lyric in the last song called Twice, where he is like, it sounds not romantic and the song isn't romantic, but there's this concept of, like, being in a relationship with someone and you're both sucking on the end of a clogged straw. But if you're drinking, I'm drinking. And I was like, Whoa."

"It's a book called Department of Speculation by Jenny Offill. And I read it during the pandemic for the first time. It's probably the book that I've reread th"

Paul Mescal shares his starter pack of cultural essentials that have significantly influenced him. Derek Cianfrance's Blue Valentine remains his most impactful film, seen during drama school, which moved him deeply through its exploration of romantic relationships from inception to dissolution. He also highlights Jake Minch's album George, particularly the song Twice, which contains a striking metaphor about relationships using the image of two people sharing a clogged straw. Additionally, Mescal mentions Jenny Offill's book Department of Speculation, which he first read during the pandemic and has since reread multiple times, indicating its lasting resonance with him.

Read at The New Yorker