She's one of Hollywood's newest darlings and the star of hit series The Bear and he's the chain-wearing Irish heartthrob who broke hearts around the world with his role in the adaptation of Sally Rooney's Normal People. Could it be that the stars have aligned in Tinsel Town and Ayo Edebiri and Paul Mescal are starring in a rom-com together?
Earlier this month, the pair set the internet alight by posting a St. Patrick's Day selfie on Instagram. The rumour mill swiftly went into overdrive, with fans hoping that the post was some kind of relationship soft-launch.
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The images, which were shared by Edebiri on her Instagram story, revealed the pair were on an outing in honour of the Irish holiday with screenwriter Jeremy O. Harris. And while it may well have just been a platonic celebration, needless to say that it didn't take long before fans were demanding a relationship or, at the very least, a rom-com from the pair.
One fan page wrote, 'the paul mescal and ayo edebiri romcom is imminent,' while another added 'I need them in a romcom asap.'
While sources have claimed the pair are 'just friends', it looks like those fan film fantasies may be coming true, with new rumours sparked by US romance novelist Emily Henry. The author shared Edebiri's post on her own Instagram, as did screenwriter Yulin Kuang, who is adapting two of Henry's books (People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read) into films.
Another adaptation of one of Henry's popular novels, Book Lovers, is in the works by the same production company behind Mescal's 2022 film Aftersun. While Henry has said she 'can't confirm or deny' anything to do with the casting for the upcoming movies, she did tell Variety that Mescal and Edebiri would be a good fit. 'I think that they would be amazing,' she said. 'I actually saw them being discussed [online] for several different roles – and I definitely have a favourite.'
'I will say that those are two of my favourite 'Irish' actors,' added the author (alluding to the running joke that Edebiri is Irish – sustained by the actor herself as well as the internet). 'I mean, they’re great, they could do anything.'
Back in 2023, Mescal hinted at the idea of a romcom starring the pair. 'I think in the next five years I’m going to set myself a challenge to do maybe like a rom-com with Ayo (Edebiri) or something like that would be cool,' he told AwardsWatch.
As well as fuelling rumours, Mescal, who was previously engaged to Phoebe Bridgers and most recently linked to Florence Pugh, revealed what gives him the 'ick'. And it's something we are all guilty of doing.
In an interview ahead of the release of his recent romance drama, All Of Us Strangers, Mescal admitted: 'Do you know what gives me more of an ick, because I think we all do it, is if you were like, "Oh, I'm just gonna go down and turn off the lights." And they're being all chill and then you hear them accelerate up the stairs because they're scared.
'Because I think we'd all do it. But I think if I was trying to impress someone I'd, like, smoothly walk up the stairs, than be dealing with the... yeah.'
It’s not Mescal's only stair-related ick. He also revealed in the video that people who 'slide down [the stairs] on their bum' give him even more of an ick.
Regardless of what their relationship status might be, let's just all hope that Edebiri knows her stair etiquette.
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Naomi May is a freelance writer and editor with an emphasis on popular culture, lifestyle and politics. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard as its Fashion and Beauty Writer, working across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Acting News Editor at ELLE UK and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others.
