At a recent Q&A session, Josh O’Connor teased some interesting details about one of the scenes he filmed with Paul Mescal for their upcoming film, The History of Sound, and spoiler alert: it involves spitting!
Directed by Oliver Hermanus, The History of Sound follows the two main characters, David (Mescal) and Lionel (O’Connor), as they meet at the Boston Music Conservatory in 1917. Deeply immersed in a world of music, the two young men develop an intimate bond, until their relationship inevitably has to face the horrors of World War I.
The film is based on a short story of the same name written by author Ben Shattuck, which won the Story Prize Spotlight Award in 2024. “In 1920, the two spend a winter walking through the forests and islands of Maine, collecting folk songs in order to preserve them for future generations,” the official synopsis reads.
On September 1, the film screened at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. During a Q&A session following the screening, O’Connor and Mescal dished about a spitting scene in The History of Sound, sharing details about the messy filming process.
O’Connor said: “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.”
He then proceeded to mime Mescal lying back with his mouth wide open, earning a laugh from his co-star and the audience.
@coffeefrijolito This just made me buy tickets to opening night! 😩 #joshoconnor #paulmescal #thehistoryofsound #spitscene #fyp
The hilarious story prompted fans to share their reactions on social media, with one TikTok user commenting, “That’s all I need to know. See you in theatres.”
Someone else wrote, “The audience is so chill for laughing. Personally I would have started barking like a dog.”
“And just like that, The History of Sound has moved up to the top of my most anticipated list,” wrote one X user.
Another fan commented: “Cinema is back baby.”
The History of Sound is set to be released in the US on September 12, while a UK and Ireland release date is yet to be announced.
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