Many media outlets in Britain claimed the actor as one of their own when reporting on his Emmy nomination.
It caused controversy among fans in Ireland, and the Kildare actor and star of Normal People has now responded by simply tweeting "I'm Irish".
I’m Irish.
— Paul Mescal (@mescal_paul) July 29, 2020
Major UK outlets, including the Guardian and the Daily Mail, had described the actor as British.
They’re at it again pic.twitter.com/eMJiMDpfVQ
— Gillian Nelis (@gnelis) July 28, 2020
The Guardian also included Irish actor Andrew Scott, known for his role as Jim Moriarty in the BBC series Sherlock and as a priest in the British series Fleabag, in their roundup of “British” talent.
In case you were wondering, double whammy there from the Guardian. Hardly worth mentioning anymore. pic.twitter.com/kLcHDvtjRe
— 🥃Donald Clarke🎥 (@DonaldClarke63) July 28, 2020
Lead actor Mescal was nominated alongside director Lenny Abrahamson, writers Sally Rooney and Alice Birch, and casting director Louise Kiely for Normal People’s four Emmy Nominations.
Over 300,000 people tuned into the series in Ireland alone during lockdown.
The winners are due to be revealed on September 21st.
