Paul Mescal Explores Grief in New Film Hamnet

Actor Paul Mescal discusses portraying Shakespeare’s loss and the visual impact of grief.

Paul Mescal Explores Grief

Can the most famous play in history be understood without first understanding the tragedy that birthed it?

For Paul Mescal, the challenge of starring in Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet wasn’t just about playing William Shakespeare; it was about deconstructing the “cost of loss.”

The film explores the playwright’s marriage to Agnes Hathaway and the devastating death of their son, Hamnet—a tragedy that eventually inspired the masterpiece Hamlet.

Mescal’s portrayal suggests that grief isn’t a single emotion to be “navigated,” but a series of “colors” that reveal themselves through the erosion of human connection.

The Strategy of Love and Loss 

Paul Mescal’s approach to the character was analytical rather than sentimental. He told Variety that he didn’t view the role as a journey “from love to grief.”

Instead, he focused on establishing a profound, “mad” love between Will and Agnes in the early stages of the film.

This foundation is tactical; by making the audience feel the intensity of their initial bond, the subsequent loss of their connection in the middle and final acts becomes far more painful.

A Visceral Manifestation 

The film uses striking visual metaphors to show how grief can physically alter a person. In the final sequences, Shakespeare appears on a London stage playing the “Ghost.”

Dressed in clay-covered linens historically used to bury the dead, Mescal’s character becomes a literal walking monument to his son.

• Cracks in the Face: Visually, the audience sees the literal “cracks” in Will’s composure.
• The Burden of Presence: While Agnes (Jessie Buckley) experiences grief through her daily presence with her surviving children, Will’s grief is showcased through the “cost of the loss” as he attempts to translate his pain into theater.

The “High Ceiling” of Production 

Mescal knew early on that the project was special. Reflecting on his rehearsals with Jessie Buckley—whom he describes as “one of the great actors of our time”—he noted that the “ceiling” for what the film could be was incredibly high.

Unlike many actors who find the final product differs from the one they filmed, Mescal felt that the version he first watched in a London studio was exactly the film he felt they were making.

Advice for the Grieving (and the Artist) 

The most powerful insight Mescal offers is that Grief is not a destination.

• Don’t “Act” the Emotion: Analyze the life that was lost instead. The grief will emerge naturally from the absence.
• Contrast is Key: To show how much someone is hurting, you must first show how happy they were. The “colors” of a performance are only visible if the palette starts with bright love.
• Trust the Visuals: Sometimes a costume—like clay-covered linens—can communicate more about internal devastation than a hundred lines of dialogue.

Key Takeaways:

• The Film: Hamnet, directed by Chloe Zhao, explores the death of Shakespeare’s son.
• The Approach: Mescal focuses on the “colors” of a life rather than just the emotion of sadness.
• Visual Symbolism: Costume choices like burial linens represent the “cracks” in the character’s psyche.
• Artistic Integrity: The film successfully translated its high rehearsal potential into a final, powerful cut.