| How to entertain yourself this weekend. |
The coolest new band is from Ireland, Al Pacino explains his Shrek phone case, and everything else you want to watch, listen to, and read about this weekend. —Gabriella Paiella |
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It’s Friday; get in, we’re learning how to watch TV.
Welcome to Paul Mescal season
Over the summer, I spent some time in London with Paul Mescal and his little earring for the GQ November cover story. We dug into his work on Gladiator II (“The only thing I will forever be angry at Ridley for is his deep desire to shoot at the fucking peak of summer, as a pasty Irish boy who does not do well in the heat”). We got philosophical (“I’ve always been convinced that I’m not going to live a long life”). And, of course, I asked him about those running-away rumors (“Ohhhhhhh…fucking hell!”).
I first profiled Mescal back in 2020, right after Normal People blew up. “Over the course of 12 episodes, there's…an intensifying sense that you're witnessing the making of a leading man, one who will be appearing on our screens for years and years to come,” I wrote at the time. Well, well, well. But for real, in the years since, he’s been making all the smart, genuinely quality choices a young actor can make. Aftersun! All of Us Strangers! This fall will be the next test of his mettle, as he trades wistful indies for the $250 million blockbuster arena.
More from the gorgeous and proud nation of Ireland
Elsewhere on the “GQ covering Irish exports” beat is a profile on Fontaines D.C. by Olivia Ovenden that’s equal parts rollicking and thoughtful. She caught the Dublin rockers—yes, a cool rock band in 2024—precisely as they’re blowing up and working through a few growing pains. And, to bring it full circle, the lads are endorsed by fellow Emerald Isle legends Mescal and Cillian Murphy.
Learn how to watch TV
TV’s in a weird place right now. And maybe we’re all a little weird about watching it too. There are too many streaming services. You can’t stop scrolling while you watch. You’re probably messing up your REM cycles by falling asleep to The Great British Bakeoff. Also, is it technically cheating to skip ahead on a show that you’ve been watching with your girlfriend?
Rest assured, we’re here to help. Welcome to How to Watch TV, an extensive, exhaustive guide for best TV-watching practices. (In defense of motion smoothing? Oh yes.) Plus, a few recs from our favorite TV masterminds, including Sopranos creator David Chase.
While we’re on the topic TV, Alex Pappademas makes the case that Mad Men is the most rewatchable show of the Peak TV era. “You could do this with any show, of course, but I’m convinced Mad Men is the best one to do it with, because it’s so explicitly about the passage of time,” Alex writes. “Something about the Godlike perspective afforded me as a person who knows far more than Pete and Joan and Peggy do about what’s going to happen to them is a balm for the existential chill of living my own life in a benighted linear fashion, as we all do.”
More TV! We have to give it up for Frazier Tharpe, who bravely watched network TV for a whole week. Yes, he sat through the 9-11 Beenado. And something called Dr. Odyssey. And something else called Tracker. And guess what? It all still sucks.
Legends being legends
I had a conversation with Harrison Ford which I can only describe as “jovially grumpy.” He had some thoughtful insights about the disappearance of the ‘80s and ‘90s thriller, a genre he was basically the face of. I also asked Ford about his shorts-and-sweater fit pic that’s become a permanent staple on menswear mood boards. He liked that one less.
And, finally, people who are brain-diseased in the exact same way as me probably already know that Al Pacino has a mysterious Shrek phone case. For everyone else: Al Pacino has a mysterious Shrek phone case. Anyway, the 84-year-old actor, while on a press tour for his new memoir Sonny Boy, finally revealed the story behind it, which you’re going to want to read. In the same interview, Pacino said that while his 16-month-old son Roman does not live with him, “he does text me from time to time.” They grow up so fast!
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For one lifelong chinos-wearer, Buck Mason’s retro-doused pants represent the ne plus ultra of the form. |
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Colin Farrell hops aboard the Panda Dunk express. |
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