“Gladiator II” star Paul Mescal made his hosting debut tonight on the 50th season of “Saturday Night Live,” playing up everything from his lack of comedic appearances to his Irish roots.
Dressed all in black and sporting a mustache, Mescal entered the Studio 8H stage and said: “I’m Paul Mescal and it’s great to be here. I’ve always loved SNL. This place has such a history.”
Mescal, who is from Maynooth, Ireland, continued: “Growing up at home, I never expected to be here. I’m also excited to be here because I’m not really known for my comedy, which is funny to me because I think I’ve done a lot of funny performances.
The actor, who is known for his dramatic roles such as in the Hulu miniseries “Normal People,” added, “I think we have some highlights here.” Excerpts from Mescal’s work in “Normal People” and other dramatic film performances were played in the studio to much laughter.
With a smile he said, “I think it’s funny, don’t you? I think it’s clear: I’m not afraid to do emotional scenes, or nude scenes, or naked emotional scenes. But recently I made the switch to something new in ‘Gladiator II.’ It’s a big, action-packed blockbuster. Here’s a look,” Mescal said with a smile as a video of him crying in the shower played.
“It’s safe to say there’s not a lot of comedy on the resume,” he said with a grin.
“Anyway, I’m very proud to be Irish,” Mescal said. “The Irish people have been through a lot. Centuries of British occupation, the great famine, mass immigration, that U2 album automatically downloaded onto people’s phones.
The actor then took time to address some “ugly stereotypes” about the Irish. ‘There’s a nasty rumor going around that Irish people are having sex with our cousins. That’s insulting and ridiculous. We have sex with our second cousins,” he said, barely suppressing a laugh.
“People also think we hate British people. That’s not true,” Mescal said, “we just don’t consider them people.” When asked if Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish mascot is offensive, Mescal said, “Not at all. We do the same with the Americans; in fact, my high school’s mascot was the Fighting Fat Asses.
The actor also dispelled the idea of Irish people wearing kilts. ‘No, those are the Scots. Traditionally the Irish wear shorts,” he said as a photo of Mescal in small shorts appeared on the screen. “Did someone say shorts?” asked Marcello Hernandez, who appeared on stage in tiny shorts.
“You know what they say, Paul, the shorter the shorts, the bigger you look,” Hernandez said.
“I don’t think it works, buddy,” Mescal said, laughing.
Mescal acknowledged an Irish stereotype that rings true for him tonight. “People often talk about the luck of the Irish. I feel very lucky to be here. I’m in New York City. I host SNL and this feels completely insane to me,” Mescal concluded with a smile.
In his first sketch, Mescal appeared in a musical version of ‘Gladiator II’, depicting the epic with 50 minutes of extra music and Mescal singing about being a misunderstood killing machine.
Grammy-nominated Shaboozey is the episode’s musical guest.