Josh O’Connor Describes Spitting in Paul Mescal’s Mouth in ‘The History of Sound’

Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal had a very intimate moment on the set of their new movie, The History of Sound.

The actors play Lionel Worthing (Mescal) and David White (O’Connor), who bond over music and the trauma of World War I. After the war, the pair travel through rural Maine collecting folk songs of their fellow countrymen, while also developing feelings for one another.

During a post-screening Q&A at Telluride Film Festival last weekend, O’Connor, 35, described what it was like shooting a particularly steamy scene with Mescal, 29.

“We were kind of keeping ourselves separate, and really in the characters, and then we did the first take, and it was the spit, and I just — it just dribbled down me, and Paul was like waiting,” O’Connor said, indicating that Mescal was lying on his back with his mouth open.

Mescal then quipped, “If you clipped this without sound, it would be…”

The History of Sound had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where it received positive reviews. The film is set to open in theaters on September 12.

In an interview with Deadline back in May, Mescal described how his real-life friendship with O’Connor made their onscreen chemistry all the more authentic.

“I think that we knew each other very well, that we were comfortable, but also we got to build mine and Josh’s relationship in real time with Lionel’s and David’s,” the Gladiator II actor said. “So there was a real sense of going to work, although the material is quite heavy, the feeling I equated to is like Friday after school going to your friend’s house. Do you know that feeling when you’re a child? That’s what it felt like going to work with Ollie… It felt very creative, and the chemistry, I suppose, is real, it is true.”

The Oscar-nominated actor said that singing in the movie wasn’t something that “instantly naturally” came to him, but added that it “wasn’t something that filled me with dread” either. “It isn’t about performance or showmanship, it’s about connecting to the song, which is connecting to the words, which is ultimately my job as an actor,” he explained.

Mescal is set to take on another musical role when he plays Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes’ upcoming films about The Beatles.

“I feel like they’re very different,” Mescal said of the two roles. “I’ve sang in films before, and each time it feels very different and I assume, playing the great Paul McCartney’s got to feel very different again.”

The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event is set for release in April 2028 and will comprise four movies, each based on one of the Beatles. Barry Keoghan will play Ringo Starr, Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon and Joseph Quinn will play George Harrison.