‘I might rue the day I threw out my social media’: Normal People’s Paul Mescal reveals the reason he QUIT Instagram after finding fame overnight
Normal People star Paul Mescal has revealed he might ‘rue the day’ he decided to quit social media but doesn’t think it’s ‘useful for people’.
The actor, 26, who soared to fame as Connell Waldron, made the decision to deactivate his accounts in 2021 after finding fame overnight.
He told The Guardian: ‘I just don’t think it’s particularly useful for people to see, like, literally you,’ while making a box shape of his hands and framing his face.
Honest: Normal People star Paul Mescal has revealed he might ‘rue the day’ he decided to quit social media but doesn’t think it’s ‘useful for people’
Paul continued: ‘I thought it’s either get off the bus now or stay on it, and I wanted to get off. In 10 years I might rue the day I threw out my social media, but look, it just is what it is.’
It is not known exactly when Paul, who had more than 1million followers, deactivated his account but his profile became absent on Instagram in April 2021.
A source told The Sun at the time: ‘Paul deactivated his Instagram account because it just became a drain. He felt like he was wasting time on there, reading the comments is no good for anyone’s mental health.
‘There are more important things going on in his life and he wants to focus his energy into his personal life and his work, he doesn’t need social media for that. He’s a private guy and doesn’t feel the need to share everything online.’
The source added that Paul doesn’t feel it is ‘worthwhile’ to cash in on ‘lucrative offers’ from brands where he reportedly could have charged six-figures.
Fame: The actor, 26, who soared to fame as Connell Waldron, made the decision to deactivate his accounts in 2021 after finding fame overnight (pictured in Normal People still with Daisy Edgar-Jones)
They also claimed that the Irish actor may reactive his Instagram in the future but is currently ‘enjoying’ his break.
In December, Paul spoke about the pressures of social media in a candid interview with Glamour after his account soared from 1,000 to more than 100,000 followers.
He said: ‘It’s an amazing privilege to have a platform like that and it did kind of happen overnight. It was going from 1,000 followers to couple of 100 thousand. It’s amazing.
‘I get the most joy out of it in terms of that is that it is coming from people who saw Normal People and really related to it. But it’s also important to acknowledge that I think we do live in an age where we can become obsessed with that.
‘As time has gone by this year, I’ve learned a lot in terms of needing to step away from those things. Nobody’s going to remember your Instagram following. It’s not going to be written on your tombstone.’
Loved-up: The Irish actor has been in relationship with singer Phoebe Bridgers for over two years
The Irish actor has been in relationship with singer Phoebe Bridgers for over two years.
The couple were first romantically linked in 2020 before making their red carpet debut at the LACMA Art+Film Gala in November and then going Instagram official in December.
In May this year, the couple sparked engagement rumours at the California music festival, as they mingled with guests at a party during the second weekend of the festival.
A partygoer is reported to have noted that Phoebe made no secret of the fact that two duo were set to walk down the aisle but The Sun reported she wasn’t seen wearing an engagement ring.
Paul was also seen hanging with pal Daisy Edgar-Jones at the US festival, with the duo growing close after starring in the BBC adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People.
Couple: In May this year, the couple sparked engagement rumours at the California music festival, as they mingled with guests at a party during the second weekend of the festival
It came just months after the couple went Instagram official a sweet snap on the social media.
The Kyoto singer, 27, took to photo sharing app in December to confirm their relationship with a very loved-up image of the two of them.
While it was the first time the pair of them have made their social media debut, the pair walked the red carpet at LACMA Art+Film Gala the previous month.
They were also spotted on a very cosy stroll in Los Angeles.
The couple have been romantically linked to one another after a source told The Sun that they spent a weekend together in August 2020.
The insider shared: ‘Paul invited pals and they played wild drinking games. They’re both smitten. His membership on the celeb dating site Raya is a smokescreen to cover up that they’re secretly an item.’
Performer: Phoebe performed as a special guest in The Gobi Tent during Week 2 of Coachella last weekend
Paul previously opened up about his romance, saying to GQ magazine: ‘To have someone to lean on through such a mad, mad time has been invaluable. Really, I don’t know where I’d be without her.’
Meanwhile, the Indie rock star told NME magazine in May that she thought Paul was a ‘cute boy’ after becoming a fan of his after watching Normal People.
She went on to follow him on Instagram, with the actor quickly returning the favour.
‘I got a little pitter-patter in my heart when I saw’, she gushed.
The couple soon met, when the actor joined Phoebe for a vodcast for her Instagram Live.
During their Instagram Live, Paul also admitted: ‘I think it’s well documented that I love your music.’
Phoebe then replied: ‘Well, that makes me blush.’
Paul and the singer then stayed on Zoom together after the Live was over, where they drank together for several hours.
Smitten: The pair walked the red carpet at LACMA Art+Film Gala in November, one month before going Instagram official
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