Paul Mescal Plans a Hiatus After Hamnet, Looking Ahead to His 2028 Beatles Film: “It’s Time for a Break for Both of Us”

Paul Mescal is contemplating a career pause and plans to “ration” his work over the next few years, but only after he wraps up the promotion for his new Oscar-contender film, Hamnet.

“Once I’ve finished promoting [Hamnet], I hope nobody gets to see me until 2028 when I’m doing the Beatles,” he shared. “People will get a break from me and I’ll get a break from them.”

In this film directed by Chloé Zhao, known for Eternals, Mescal portrays William Shakespeare, exploring the tragic loss of Shakespeare’s young son and the inspiration behind Hamlet. Jessie Buckley takes on the role of his wife, Agnes.

“I’m five or six years into this now, and I feel very lucky. But I’m also realizing that I can’t keep up this pace,” Mescal noted. “It means understanding that projects like [the new period romance co-starring Josh O’Connor] The History of Sound take more from me. You can’t keep drawing from the same well and expect to consistently produce work you’re proud of. What that rationing looks like, I’m not sure yet. I miss being on stage, so I might focus solely on theatre for a couple of years.”

In Sam Mendes’ upcoming quartet of films about the Beatles, Mescal is set to portray Paul McCartney. All four films will premiere on the same date in 2028, each highlighting a different member of the iconic band. Harris Dickinson, Joseph Quinn, and Barry Keoghan will play John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, respectively, with Saoirse Ronan as McCartney’s first wife and bandmate Linda, and James Norton as the band’s manager, Brian Epstein.

Hamnet is currently showing in US theaters and will hit UK cinemas on January 9.