Hamnet recently won best drama at the 2026 Golden Globes. Paul Mescal’s performance, in particular, was praised.
But there was a scene in the drama that required emotional intensity.
It shows how William Shakespeare, whom the actor portrays, has writer’s block — failure to generate new ideas during writing.
To display such raw emotions, Paul admits, “I drank for that scene,” adding, “But I don’t want…it was an exciting thing for me because it wasn’t something I’d done before.”
He continues, “I don’t think it takes away from the fact that there’s lots of acting that goes on around that as well. It’s not that that doesn’t dictate.”
A dose of alcohol, the actor adds, helped him feel disconnected, leading him to perform the scene better.
“I don’t think I would have felt safe doing that without that being in the hands of Chloé and Jessie. And I think it did open up this kind of concept of feeling very [disconnected].”
“I felt super close to Jessie throughout filming, but that day, I mean, you can see it in her eyes — we’re not connected in a way that I think is really useful for the scene,” the star note
In recognition of Paul’s performance, he was nominated for the 2026 Golden Globes in the Best Supporting Actor category.
