Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal battle it out on the cover of W Magazine after THAT awkward Graham Norton interview - as Normal People star admits to one HUGE lie he told!
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Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal have reunited to battle it out on the cover of W Magazine - months after their awkward The Graham Norton Show moment went viral.
The actress set social media alight during an appearance on the BBC chat show in October when she made a remark about gender-based violence while sat alongside an otherwise all-male panel of Paul, Denzel Washington and Eddie Redmayne.
During a chat about Eddie Redmayne's The Day Of The Jackal, the three men joked about how he was trained to use a phone as a weapon - but were left red-faced after Saoirse pointed out that women are forced to consider every option as self-defence.
The Irish actors are now among the stars who have graced the cover of W Magazine for its annual Best Performances portfolio.
The feature highlights stars at the forefront of cinema, from industry legends and icons to those whose phenomenal talent is ushering in a new wave of stardom - of which Saoirse and Paul made the cut.
And during his interview, Paul revealed that in order to get his breakout role in Normal People, he lied about being able to drive.
Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal have reunited to battle it out on the cover of W Magazine - months after their awkward The Graham Norton Show moment went viral
The Irish actors are now among the stars who have graced the cover of W Magazine for its annual Best Performances portfolio
The actress set social media alight during an appearance on the BBC chat show in October when she made a remark about gender-based violence while sat alongside an otherwise all-male panel of Paul , Denzel Washington and Eddie Redmayne
The Gladiator II star admitted: 'Yeah, I said I could drive for Normal People, and I could not drive. We'd signed the paperwork, I'd gotten the part, and then I'd forgotten about doing my driver's license.
'So I ended up doing Normal People on a provisional license. I could only drive the car if there was a fully licensed driver beside me.'
The actor, who looked dapper for the shoot in a dark green suit as he relaxed in an armchair, also opened up about his first experience at the Oscars for his Aftersun nomination.
'The Oscars was the greatest circus that I've ever been to,' he said. 'I took my parents. My mom's great in that environment. Dad got to dance beside Cher at an afterparty. He likes to say that he was dancing with Cher, but he was dancing in her vicinity. He was the happiest man on the planet.
'The thing about the Oscars is you're able to go to the bar during it. They've got people who come and fill your seats. Mom felt like it was too rude to leave, so she became close friends with the people who were coming to fill the seats. I'd come back and she'd be like, "Do you want to go back to the bar again? I'm having a better time without you".'
Meanwhile Saoirse looked sensational in her cover shoot as she donned a striking red striped silk shirt dress, complete with a plunging neckline.
In another shot, Soairse showed off her impressive figure in a lilac satin midi-skirt adorned with flowers, paired with a brown and green long-sleeved cropped tie top.
She made a hilarious admission during her interview, as she revealed her favourite TV show is Married at First Sight: Australia.
During his interview, Paul revealed that in order to get his breakout role in Normal People, he lied about being able to drive
The actor, who looked dapper for the shoot in a dark green suit as he relaxed in an armchair, also opened up about his first experience at the Oscars for his Aftersun nomination
Soairse showed off her impressive figure in a lilac satin midi-skirt adorned with flowers, paired with a brown and green long-sleeved cropped tie top
For the cover she looked sensational as she donned a striking red striped silk shirt dress, complete with a plunging neckline
'The Aussies are extra!' the Blitz star said. 'They are so hectic— they take it somewhere else. I skipped the American version and the one in the U.K. I’ve gone straight to Australia.'
She also revealed the celebrities which would make her feel starstruck: 'Only with musicians or people from TV. I saw Amy Poehler recently, and I died.
'When I met Stevie Nicks, I died and went to heaven. If I met someone from Married at First Sight, I would freak out.
'But we're not hectic enough for them.'
Saoirse sparked a viral frenzy back in October when she made a quip about self-defence alongside the all-male panel of guests, having minutes earlier appeared to shut down Paul for laughing while she spoke to Graham.
During the Graham Norton interview, Eddie, 42, explained that amid his training for The Day of the Jackal, an upcoming Peacock miniseries, he received instruction on how to use a phone to retaliate in the event of an attack.
Paul then joked: 'Who is actually going to think about that? If someone actually attacked me, I'm not going to go "phone".'
Graham mimicked holding a phone to fend off an assailant, saying, 'Can you hold on a second?' to which Eddie said, 'That's a very good point.'
Saoirse sparked a viral frenzy back in October when she made a quip about self-defence alongside the all-male panel of guests, having minutes earlier appeared to shut down Paul for laughing while she spoke to Graham
During the Graham Norton interview, Eddie, 42, explained that amid his training for The Day of the Jackal, an upcoming Peacock miniseries, he received instruction on how to use a phone to retaliate in the event of an attack - which Paul joked about
Having been talked over in the chat, Saoirse finally found a moment to speak and declared: 'That's what girls have to think about all the time.'
The brutally honest comment prompted a moment of silence from the panel.
'Am I right, ladies?' she then asked the crowd, eliciting a huge round of applause from the studio audience.
While Saoirse and Paul had an awkward interaction on the show, there is no bad blood between the pair.
In fact, the Irish actors are good friends after starring together in 2023 sci-fi film, Foe, where they played a married couple.
Speaking to Ryan Tubridy on Virgin Radio UK, Saoirse admitted the reaction to the Graham Norton moment 'wasn't something she expected,' before going onto 'urge more women to speak out'.
Saoirse also said she and Paul discussed instances like that in the past he 'completely understands' her point.
She said: 'The reaction has been wild. It's definitely not something that I had expected, and I didn't necessarily set out to sort of make a splash.
While Saoirse and Paul had an awkward interaction on the show, there is no bad blood between the pair - who are close friends (Pictured in October)
Speaking to Ryan Tubridy on Virgin Radio UK, Saoirse admitted the reaction to the Graham Norton moment 'wasn't something she expected,' before going onto 'urge more women to speak out'
'But I do think there's something really telling about the society that we're in right now and about how open women want to be with the men in their lives.
'So many men and women that I know from all over the world have gotten in touch with me about this one comment, which is, again, I would urge people, please, please, please to watch this in context.
'Please watch the whole interview or watch at least that part of the conversation, because it really wasn't about… the boys weren't sort of like debunking anything that I was saying.
'But at the same time, it felt very similar to like when I am at dinner with a bunch of my friends and I will always make the point that, well, this is actually an experience that we go through every single day, 100%.
'Paul being one of my very dear friends, I've had conversations like that with him before and he completely gets that and completely understands that but I think the fact that there was a moment like that that happened on a show like Graham Norton, which is something that the entire nation channels and to watch and even overseas, it's something that people tune into, it seems to have had an accessibility which seems to have really gained traction, which I think is amazing.'
