Paul Mescal unwinds with cigarette on Sydney balcony amid Graham Norton Show disaster with Saoirse Ronan

Paul Mescal has been spotted relaxing in Sydney amid the backlash over his viral chat with Saoirse Ronan on The Graham Norton Show.

The Gladiator II star is enjoying some down time in Australia after walking the red carpet for Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated sequel in Darling Harbor on October 30.

The Irish actor, 28, was spotted smoking a cigarette and enjoying the view from the balcony of his hotel room, which overlooks Sydney Harbour, on Thursday afternoon.

Embracing the balmy sun, Mescal was pictured shirtless during the balcony session, where he was joined by two unidentified women and a tattooed man.

At the time Mescal was photographed, he was completely unaware that he would find himself at the center of a global media storm for the next 24 hours – as a pre-recorded episode of The Graham Norton Show aired in Britain.

The Normal People star appeared to be in a jovial mood as he took a few drags on a cigarette and admired the picturesque harbor views with his friends.

Mescal’s Gladiator II co-star Saoirse, 30, set social media ablaze during Friday’s appearance on the show when she made a comment about gender-based violence while seated alongside an otherwise all-male panel of PaulDenzel Washington and Eddie Redmayne.

In the brief exchange, Saoirse silenced the all-male panel with her only now-viral response to Mescal.

During the Graham Norton interview, Eddie, 42, explained that during his training for The Day of the Jackal, an upcoming Peacock miniseries, he was instructed on how to use a phone to get revenge in the event of an attack.

Paul then joked: ‘Who’s going to think about that anyway? If someone actually attacked me, I’m not going to ‘call’.

Pretending to hold a phone to fend off an attacker, Graham said, “Can you wait a minute?” to which Eddie said, “That’s a very good point.”

After talking about it in the chat, Saoirse finally found a moment to speak, stating, “That’s what girls have to think about all the time.”

The brutally honest comment led to a moment of silence in the panel.

“Am I right, ladies?” she then asked the audience, eliciting huge applause from the studio audience.

In his first interview since then, Paul spoke about his appearance on the BBC show as he walked the red carpet at the Australian premiere of Gladiator II in Sydney.

Requested by 9Honey about a comment Denzel made on The Graham Norton Show, saying Paul “delivered” his performance in the new film.

Paul responded, “I feel completely comfortable saying this, but I definitely got emotional when he [Denzel] said that.’

He continued, “Because he has been so generous with his talent, his performance in the film is just extraordinary, but he has been completely fatherly and in a non-condescending way throughout this press tour.

“And to get that from someone who is so fundamentally talented, it feels incredibly generous and kind.”

He was not directly asked about the awkward interaction with Saorise, who defended her “dear friend” on Virgin Radio UK.

“Because Paul is one of my dear friends, I’ve had conversations like that with him before and he totally understands that and understands that,” Saoirse said.

“But I think the fact that there was a moment like that that happened on a show like Graham Norton, something that is broadcast across the country and to watch, and even abroad, is something that people tune in to, it seems like an accessibility that seems to have really gained traction, which I think is amazing.”

While Paul is having a blast Down Under, his girlfriend Gracie Abrams is on tour with Taylor Swift, supporting her on the final leg of the American Eras tour.

Gracie, 25, opened for Taylor, 34, in New Orleans a few nights ago and will continue in that role for months to come.

Gracie, whose father is renowned Hollywood director JJ Abrams, was first spotted with Paul at a restaurant in London in June.

Two weeks ago, the loved-up couple was spotted chatting outside a restaurant during a date night in New York City while smoking cigarettes.

Paul is currently busy promoting the upcoming sequel to Russell Crowe’s 2000 smash hit film Gladiator, in which he stars.

Discussing the epic while in Australia, Paul admitted he couldn’t bring himself to quit drinking or smoking while working on his ripped physique for the role.

‘I was terrified that they would take away everything, like drinking and me smoking. All in good fun,” he told The Project earlier this year.

Paul admitted that he asked his fitness trainer Tim Blakeley to help him integrate drinking and smoking into his strict training regime.

‘I said very seriously: ‘Look, Tim, I’m going to continue drinking and smoking for a while if I can.

“He very graciously incorporated them, not into the training routine, but just into my life.”

Paul first came to prominence opposite Daisy Edgar Jones in an adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People and has since starred in a series of high-profile releases.

He has amassed credits in Aftersun, Foe and All of Us Strangers, and narrated GQ magazine that while he misses his anonymity, he wouldn’t trade his Hollywood career for anything.

“I do miss the anonymity, but I don’t miss living before having the opportunities that filmmaking brings,” he said.

‘I love this work more than I miss the anonymity, because I am not naive to assume that you can really have one without the other, grieving makes less sense.

“I make great friends through this job and I get to work with people like Ridley Scott, so it’s all good,” the actor said.