Paul Mescal, 28, reveals he's 'convinced I'm not going to live a long life': 'It's a gut feeling, hopefully I'm wrong'

Paul Mescal has revealed he's 'convinced he will not live a long life'. 

The actor, 28, who is at the peak of physical fitness for his lead role in Gladiator II, said he has a 'gut feeling' he will die young in a frank interview about death. 

'I’ve always been convinced that I’m not going to live a long life. People have this response, but in my head it’s never been drastic. It’s just like a gut feeling,' he told GQ Magazine.

'Maybe it’s to do with the fact that I can’t visualise myself as an 80-year-old man. I’m also afraid of death. So I think if death was to come for me at 55, I’d be equally afraid of it as I would be at 90. I don’t believe anybody who’s like, "I’m ready for it." I’m like, "Bulls**t!". 

Paul said he has 'always' thought he wouldn't grow old but hopes he is wrong. 

He added: 'It’s always in my head. I was like, Going to have a family young. I’m going to not survive a long time. Hopefully, I’m wrong. I think I will be wrong. But that’s just the truth around my brain.' 

It comes after Paul revealed he 'loved' the training for Gladiator 2, despite how gruelling it was physically.

Due for release later this year, the Irish actor takes on the role of Roman Empire Lucius Verus, the grown-up son of Lucilla, portrayed as a child in the Oscar-winning original from 2000 starring Russell Crowe.

But the Normal People star said he couldn't bring himself to give up drinking or smoking while working on his ripped physique for the film. 

'I was petrified that they were going to take away everything, like drinking and I smoke. Everything fun,' he said.

Paul went on to say he asked his fitness trainer Tim Blakeley to help him work drinking and smoking into his rigorous training regime.  

'I very earnestly was like, "Look, Tim, I'm going to keep drinking and smoking for a little bit if I can,"' Paul recalled.

'He very kindly incorporated them, not into the workout routine, but just into my life.'

Paul may have shot to fame for playing bookish Connell Waldron in Normal People back in 2020—but audiences will see him in a whole new light during Gladiator II.

Earlier this year, footage of Paul's Gladiator workout was widely circulated on TikTok and showed the actor doing dumbbell shoulder raises for a solid 23 seconds.

In an interview with Capital FM, Paul praised his 'great trainer' for helping him build his physique for the film as well as a team of nutritionists—who told him when and what to eat.

Sending a message to fans who looked up to his new build, Paul added: 'I had the best trainer in the world, a studio and a production supporting me through it...

'You have to make an audience believe that this is someone who would survive intensive violence throughout the film.

'And you're not going to survive that as someone whose running around Hackney.' 

Meanwhile, the star also told Entertainment Tonight that his workouts with trainer Tim involved plenty of squatting and 'lifting heavy things'. 

During filming, the star also claimed he was told to give up running in the months leading up to filming—as his team's focus was building muscle. 

He said during a video interview, he said: 'The closer we got to filming, I was allowed to run again.' 

Paul is known to be an active individual and has been pictured jogging around London countless times over the past four years.

cOn top of this, the star previously revealed that he loves going on walks too and is a keen boxer.