EntertainmentMoviesDrama MoviesAll Of Us StrangersPaul Mescal and Andrew Scott say “audience anticipation” helped them build chemistry for All of Us StrangersWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesDrama MoviesAll Of Us StrangersPaul Mescal and Andrew Scott say “audience anticipation” helped them build chemistry for All of Us StrangersWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Searchlight Pictures)

Since its premiere at the Telluride Film Festival last August, the new romantic drama All of Us Strangers has been receiving endless critical acclaim. For instance, Total Filmawarded the moviethe full five stars describing it as “a testament to the power of love” and “a very moving piece of work”.
Although other productions put their actors through various exercises to help build chemistry, Mescal revealed that there was none of that on All of Us Strangers, adding that he doesn’t quite believe those processes work either. He told GamesRadar+ and theInside Total Film podcast: “I don’t think we actively did anything like there weren’t exercises. I’m yet to be convinced that that’s a way of navigating that. We both trusted each other innately and I think it helped a lot for me that I had a huge admiration of Andrew before going in. But we went about our jobs – it’s work, one portion of the story was making that relationship believable. My dad always says the main thing about acting is making sure that the audience believes in you. It’s simply put but a hard thing to put into practice. But we are just doing our jobs.”
(Image credit: Searchlight)

However, whilst that is indeed the case, the actors do believe that audience anticipation did have a key role to play here in creating their chemistry. People have long wanted the two Irish stars to work together on the screen, and so when casting was announced for All of Us Strangers, there was much excitement online from fans, which Mescal thinks aided them: “If you have an audience who want two people to work together, that builds chemistry, as there is an anticipation for it, which helps.”
Scott added: “I think sometimes chemistry is built in the audience and the scenario you are in, there’s so many different things. Or maybe an interest in seeing two different energies act together, that’s there as well. That anticipation, our enjoyment of acting together, our desire to work together, then the characters' situation, then the beautiful script. That’s what builds this thing that makes people go, ‘Oh, I recognize this, it’s making me feel the chemistry’.”
All of Us Strangers arrives in UK cinemas on January 26. For the full interview with Scott and Mescal, as well as co-star Foy, listen to the latest episode of theInside Total Film podcast.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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