Paul Mescal finally addresses Saoirse Ronan viral moment where she shut actor down with important point

Paul Mescal has responded to his viral moment with Saoirse Ronan on The Graham Norton Show, claiming he 'wasn't surprised' by the reaction.

Actress Saoirse Ronan pretty much silenced the studio when she made an unexpected claim about women's safety on The Graham Norton Show last month, leaving panellists and the audience lost for words.

Sat alongside her on the famous red couch was Paul Mescal, as well as Hollywood stars Denzel Washington and Eddie Redmayne.

Redmayne was promoting his new series The Day of the Jackal - which sees him take on the role of a highly-skilled assassin. Whilst preparing for the role, the actor recalled being trained to use his mobile phone as a weapon.

After explaining that he was shown how to jab an attacker in the neck, Mescal made a joke, claiming he'd never think to whip out his phone if under attack.

"Who is actually going to think about that?" Mescal said.

It didn't take long for Ronan - the only woman on the sofa - to remind her fellow panelists that these are the kinds of things women have to think about all the time.

"That’s what girls have to think about all the time," she said, leaving the room silent.

After a brief pause, she added: "Am I right, ladies?"

The awkward yet important moment gained a lot of attention on social media, and Mescal has since praised Ronan for speaking out.

Mescal - who recently starred in Gladiator II - reflected on the moment during a recent interview on The Late Late Show.

He said: "We weren't surprised because you're on a talk show, and you're kind of just talking.

"But I'm not surprised that the message received as much attention as it got because its massively important."

The star added: "I'm sure you've had Saoirse on the show, she is quite often, if not more often than not, the most intelligent person in the room. And I think she was spot on, hit the nail on the head."

“Saoirse is, more often than not, the most intelligent person in the room.”

Paul Mescal praising his pal Saoirse Ronan, after a clip of her speaking about gender-based violence on The Graham Norton Show went viral.#latelate pic.twitter.com/HNctL2zdOS

— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) November 15, 2024

Speaking on the wider issue, he continued: "It's also good that messages like that are kind of gaining traction, that's a conversation we should absolutely be having on a daily basis."

Ronan has also since spoken out about her comments, claiming that the reaction was 'wild'.

Speaking on Virgin Radio UK, she said: "I think there's something really telling about the society that we're in right now and about how open women want to be with the men in their lives."