Paul Mescal is staying close to Gracie Abrams.
Three months after the Normal People star and the "I Love You, I'm Sorry" singer seemingly confirmed their romance, the couple turned the Gladiator II Los Angeles premiere after-party Nov. 18 their very own date night.
Paul, who plays Lucius in the upcoming epic film, arrived in a black Gucci suit over his gray button-down sweater and ribbed white T-shirt that peeked through the neckline. Despite not walking the red carpet at the premiere together, they were seen cozying up at the festivities later that night. Gracie, who posed alongside the actor, wore a light gray risqué cable-knit gown that wrapped around her neck like a scarf.
Since first sparking romance rumors during a cozy walk in London's Mayfair neighborhood in August, the pair have remained silent about their relationship status. However, Paul, 28, was seen supporting the 24-year-old at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Miami last month, where she was the opening act. Most recently, they enjoyed a dinner date in New York City.
But it’s not a surprise that the Aftersun star—who previously dated Phoebe Bridgers—has chosen to stay quiet about their budding romance. After all, he was recently at the center of a rather eyebrow-raising rumor that claimed he that after having a one-night stand, he runs away from them during a stroll in the park the next day.
As for his reaction to the alleged date ditching in the park?
"We were looking at the videos and we were pissing ourselves at it," Paul told GQ last month. "Categorically untrue. And we were laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing. And the one thing that upset me was that I was in the kitchen, I remember my mum looking at the videos and she was getting upset. Isn't that devastating?"
"It's funny to us—my brother, me, my sister—because we know that this is the way the internet works," he continued. "It's hilarious. If it was true, it'd be f--king bad, but as a rumor, it's funny. If you're a mother, her impulse is to come out and be like, 'He wouldn't do this.'"
Although that was funny, even to Paul, privacy has been less of a privilege since his breakout role as Connell in the Sally Rooney adaptation.
"I mean, the speculation has been kind of mad for the last x amount of years," he explained. "I'm not comfortable inviting any access into that part of my life. How I am in my private life is so precious to me because I get very little of it, and it might be public interest, but it's not public-obligated information."
So, he felt it was best to set his own boundaries with the public.
"I've learned that there's certain lines in the sand now for me that just are going to be impenetrable for the benefit of my own sanity, but also the benefit of my work," Paul added. "If you don't have those boundaries up in terms of lines in the sand in regards to your private life, people know way too much about you and then they can't invest in the imagined landscape of your character because they know what your favorite thing to eat for breakfast is."