Actor Paul Mescal reveals how buying his first house has been ‘slightly stressful’

And the Kildareman, who shot to fame in Normal People, admits having a mortgage for the first time frets him a bit.

“After (Normal People) came out I wanted to actively move away for (Ireland),” he told the Financial Times.

“And in the past two or three years, I felt a desire to think maybe more long-term about where I would spend time off between jobs.”

He said that buying a place in Ireland was a priority as he wants to base himself here.

“It’s a beautiful part of the world. It’s peaceful. And the people are kind,” he said.

He has not revealed where exactly he has bought his new house, but admits it has been a bit overwhelming for him.

“I hope I don’t hate it in five years…I’m afraid of that,” he laughs.

“It’s just all of those burgeoning adult things like having a mortgage. It’s slightly stressful. But exciting. You have to grow up at some point.”

Mescal is currently starring in A Streetcar Named Desire in London’s West End.

“It was one of the first plays I properly studied,” he adds. “And I kind of fell in love with Tennessee Williams.

“Streetcar would be my favourite of his plays: it fits perfectly in his wheelhouse of brutal sexual landscapes, but there are pockets of beauty…characters who are able to articulate the beauty in the world.”