Searchlight Pictures

Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal have broken their silence on their showstopping chemistry while filming All of Us Strangers. 

On 26 January 2024, the highly anticipated fantasy drama, written and directed by acclaimed creative Andrew Haigh, will finally hit cinemas in the UK.

Based on the novel Strangers by Japanese novelist Taichi Yamada, the film follows screenwriter Adam (Scott), who navigates a new romance with his mysterious neighbour Harry (Mescal). 

However, things take a surprising turn when Adam comes across his dead parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy), who “appear to be living just as they were on the day they died, 30 years before.” 

Over the last few months, All of Us Strangers has received universal acclaim at various film festivals for its moving story, and incredible acting performances. 

In addition to the aforementioned praises, the film has also garnered attention for the electric chemistry between Mescal and Scott, which Haigh has teased on numerous occasions. 

Now, the two Irish actors have shared their own perspectives on the filming processes and how they formed their close bond. 

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the two talents first addressed Haigh’s comments from his Q&A event at the American Film Institute – in which he said they ignored him at concert due to their immediate connection. 

“We didn’t,” the Fleabag star exclaimed, with the Normal People star adding: “That’s not true. That’s a little bit of hyperbolic directorial license.”

As their interview progressed, the pair admitted to having very little knowledge of each other before joining All of Us Strangers. However, that quickly changed when they embarked on the project’s heartfelt and sensual story. 

“To play being in love or falling in love with someone, it’s the best, completely wonderful thing to be able to do,” Scott explained. 

“We were starting to get to know each other [as people], as well. Beyond our preliminary friendship, it was like both of those experiences were coexisting.” 

While their experience was certainly emotional, the pair joked that they were able to tap into the film’s raw material due to their Irish heritage. 

“The means to express is something that we as a culture are still processing. I think that’s why Irish actors, generally speaking, are good at playing the stuff beneath the surface. A good healthy dose of repression helps the ol’ acting,” he told the news outlet. 

Mescal and Scott’s adorable interview comes a few months after Haigh praised the two actors for being “fearless” while filming the movie’s sex scenes.

“Both of them were pretty fearless. There was no sense of them being afraid of approaching those scenes. They knew how important they were,” Haigh explained to Vanity Fair

He added: “I’ve been more objective in how I’ve shot sex scenes in the past. Here, I really wanted to feel the subjective nature of having sex and what it feels like—the nervousness and the excitement and the physical sensation of being touched by someone else, and what that does to you.”

Check out the full trailer for the film here or below.