In ‘The History of Sound,’ Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor’s Tender Romance Defines a Convoluted Life

Mescal first met O’Connor on Zoom during the pandemic, following the release of Normal People. O’Connor reached out; he was a modern fan. “We had a sweet Zoom,” Mescal says. “He was one of the first people that I was starstruck by after Normal People came out. He’s now one of my best friends, and I just adore him.” The two had separately gotten attached to The History of Sound over the years with no idea which character they’d play. In fact, Mescal wanted to portray David, not Lionel. “A little bit of me at that point was reticent, if I’m being honest, to lead a film to that extent,” the actor says. But Hermanus had a vision in the middle of the night that Mescal should play the part, and told the actor about it the next day. Mescal took a few weeks away, poring over the screenplay again, before saying yes.

This was before Mescal’s Oscar nomination for Aftersun, or the offer to topline Ridley Scott’s massive Gladiator sequel. The History of Sound felt like a homecoming in some ways—“Gladiator is the anomaly in terms of the genre of films that I’ve played in before,” he says—and O’Connor only aided in that experience. The two radiate an intimate, singular chemistry. “We felt very boyish in each other’s company throughout,” says Mescal. “I’ve always said this to Josh, but he brings out a childlike version of me. I haven’t felt that kind of degree of boyishness in myself for a long time.”

The duo sell a romantic connection that extends well beyond the bedroom. “There is a kind of real sense of companionship, and the joy and loss that comes with the presence and absence of that,” Mescal says. “It’s not just about sex and the intensity of falling in love. It’s deeper than that.”

In fact, there isn’t much sex at all in The History of Sound—though the film feels romantic beginning to end. “I didn’t want the sex of it to be the transgression, or the big idea, like, ‘Oh, it’s 1917, and these two men are taking the risk of being sexual,’” Hermanus says. “Ben wrote it in a way where there was no hesitation, no moment of fear. For me, the sex scene is when Lionel is walking around David’s apartment the morning after [their first encounter], and he’s smelling everything and sitting everywhere. He’s absorbing the energy of this person.”