Normal People star Paul Mescal reveals hidden talents in new campaign to support the arts

Paul Mescal is the star of a new short film released today, which features the acclaimed Irish actor performing a unique dance routine inspired by the events of 2020.

Mescal who shot to fame in the hit TV show ‘Normal People’ performs a 90-second contemporary dance composition in the film titled ‘Lockdown’, which sees him capture the mood of a tumultuous year.

“This project took me totally out of my comfort zone as I am not a dancer. Movement is something I loved doing at drama school and something that I’ve missed doing since entering the industry. There are thousands of performers in the arts industry that have been affected by the closures of theatres, venues and stages who have and are going through an incredibly challenging time.

“I’m really proud to launch Samsung Spotlight which aims to help performers by giving them a platform to showcase their talents. I can’t wait to see what type of performances people come up with and I’m looking forward to judging the entries.” – Paul Mescal

The film was created and shot by Samsung to launch a new initiative called ‘Samsung Spotlight’, which aims to champion emerging creatives in the arts and provide a platform for them to showcase their skills and talents in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the new film Mescal uses contemporary and modern dance, as well acting and physical theatre, to tell a personal story about the impact of the pandemic. The actor travels through an abandoned warehouse and performs to an imaginary audience of mannequin-statues, symbolic of an absent audience that cannot be present due to the pandemic.

The performance includes Mescal leaping into the air, crawling across the floor, and ‘tutting’ – a street dance style based on angular movements that create shapes and patterns with the arms and fingers.

‘Lockdown’ was choregraphed by Mescal over an intensive 3-day period in London during lockdown with the help of former Strictly Come Dancing choreographer Richard Marcel. The entire performance was shot in ultra-high definition 8K video on the Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphone.

“Following the events of this year and impact on the arts industry Samsung wanted to provide a spotlight for arts students and creators across the UK and Ireland who have had their stage taken away from them. Samsung Spotlight has been created to give performers the opportunity to share their talents and get the chance to have their work shared with the world.” – Tom Morey, Director of Corporate Marketing at Samsung UK

Samsung Spotlight is open to all performance artists from across the UK & Ireland. Those wanting to get involved need to film their own audition-style performance of up to 90 seconds and submit on Instagram using the hashtag #SamsungSpotlight.

Performances can include dance, physical theatre, mime, self-expression, poetry or acting but must be a completely original piece of work. Emmy nominated Mescal will be judging the competition and will pick the top three winning films to be reshot in 8K by a production crew using Samsung Galaxy S20 devices.

The three winning performers will have their content displayed across Samsung’s digital channels, in-store screens and will feature in a new digital advert.

For more information, visit the Samsung website.