Paul Mescal’s new tragic drama, Hamnet, has now set a Rotten Tomatoes record for the young star. Following his humble beginnings with Normal People, Mescal has already made a mark as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, following his Oscar nomination for Aftersun.
Since then, the Irish star has continued his focus on indie projects and the stage, while limiting himself to major blockbusters. The clear exception has been Gladiator 2, where he took over as the lead to play Lucius Verus. While the Ridley Scott sequel remained his biggest movie yet, Mescal returned to the indie sphere to play William Shakespeare in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, Hamnet currently has a 92% audience score, which is the highest for any Mescal movie. The Shakespearean film just edges out All of us Strangers, which had a 91% Popcornometer. Critical reception for Hamnet has also been equally positive, leading to an 89% score.
Hamnet depicts a dramatized account of the marriage between Agnes Hathaway and William Shakespeare, which gets rocky following the death of their only son, Hamnet. The tragedy would inspire the writer’s greatest play, Hamlet.
The tragic movie has earned a lot of award buzz since its premiere at Telluride in August, as critics applauded the powerful and intense performances from Jessie Buckley, who plays Agnes, and Mescal. This has led to strong award potential for the duo, particularly Best Actress for Buckley and Best Supporting Actor for Mescal.
In addition, Zhao was also praised for the movie’s direction, particularly in depicting the heartbreak of Hamnet’s death and the impact on the couple’s marriage. The filmmaker is once again up for Best Director contention after having previously won the award for Nomadland.
Currently, Hamnet is nominated for six Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Actress – Motion Picture – Drama for Buckley, and Best Supporting Actor for Mescal. The film was also nominated for 11 Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.
Academy Award nominations won’t be announced until January 22, 2026, but Mescal has become a strong contender for Best Supporting Actor. If that were to be the case, it would be his second Oscar nomination in his career.
Nevertheless, the young star has been busy, especially with the highly ambitious Beatles movies, which will be in four parts. Mescal will portray Paul McCartney. In addition, he is collaborating with Richard Linklater on Merrily We Roll Along, which is a film that will be filmed over a span of 20 years.
Hamnet is now playing in theaters.
- Release Date
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November 26, 2025
- Runtime
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126 minutes
- Director
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Chloé Zhao
- Writers
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Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell
- Producers
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Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg, Nicolas Gonda, Caroline Reynolds, Maggie O’Farrell
