Rise to Fame
The GAA coaches called him 'a huge loss to Kildare' when he chose acting over Gaelic football. He trained at The Lir Academy in Dublin before landing Connell Waldron in Normal People (2020), the BBC miniseries that became the platform's most-streamed show that year. A BAFTA for Best Actor followed. Then Aftersun (2022), Charlotte Wells' micro-budget debut with almost no theatrical run, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The industry got there before the discourse did.
In the Spotlight
Gladiator II didn't hurt him. The film reportedly cost around $310 million, made roughly $450 million at the box office, and proved he could anchor a studio franchise. He's now signed on as Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes' Beatles biopics (due 2028). But right after Gladiator II wrapped, he lost 26 pounds in two months to prep for The History of Sound, an intimate indie opposite Josh O'Connor. He hasn't picked a lane, and nothing in his recent output suggests he needs to.
Side Notes
Before drama school, he captained the Kildare minor Gaelic football team and won a Leinster minor medal in 2013. His character Connell in Normal People also plays GAA and attends Trinity College, which wasn't an accident. His first Irish TV credit was a Denny sausage commercial, earning him the nickname 'Sausage Paul' that still trails him through awards season. He grew up speaking Irish in Maynooth, which tells you something about how far the role of Lucius in Gladiator II was from his starting point.