Colin Farrell has received his first best actor Oscar nomination for his role in The Banshees of Inisherin, alongside Paul Mescal for his role in Aftersun.

46-year-old Dubliner Colin Farrell and Normal People star Paul Mescal will compete against US heavyweights Austin Butler and Brendan Fraser who have also won acclaim for their performances in Elvis and The Whale. English actor Bill Nighy has been nominated for Living.

In Aftersun, Calum - played by Maynooth actor Mescal - struggles under the weight of life outside of fatherhood while suffering with depression.

Twenty years after their last holiday at a fading vacation resort, Sophie reflects on the rare time spent with her loving and idealistic father Calum when she was 11-years-old.

"This is truly a special moment for everyone involved in Aftersun," Paul Mescal stated, reacting to his Best Actor nomination. "To be recognised by the Academy is such an insane honour and I'm so utterly grateful. I want to dedicate this nomination to my two friends [director] Charlotte [Wells] and [co-star] Frankie [Corio] who I love dearly! This is bananas, thank you!"

Paul's sister, musician Nell Mescal, reacted appropriately on Twitter to the dizzying rise of her brother:

IM SOBBING

— nell mescal (@nellmescal_) January 24, 2023

Colin Farrell has already picked up nods for his performances at other award shows, winning the Golden Globe for best actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy.

He reacted to the announcement today, stating: "Just so grateful to the Academy for all the love it's shared with the @Banshees_Movie cast and crew. Also, beyond honoured to be lumped together with my fellow nominees. A heartfelt congratulations to all the lads!"

His Golden Globes speech also went down a treat at the time.

“Martin McDonagh I owe you so much man," he said on stage. "14 years ago you put me working with Brendan Gleeson… and you changed the trajectory of my life forever in ways that I, begrudgingly, will be grateful to you for the rest of my days.”

Addressing Gleeson, he continued: “Brendan, I love you so much. I love that I get to co-habitate this creative space with you every day. All I did when I came to work every day was aspire to be your equal.

“I’m not saying I even got there but the aspiration kept me going. And I’ll thank you for that for the rest of my days also.”

Set on a fictional island off the coast of Ireland in the 1920s, Banshees centres on Pádraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson), two longtime pals whose relationship is about to come to an end. Out of the blue, Colm decides he no longer wants to speak or socialize with Pádraic, leaving the latter shellshocked over losing his “best friend.” While his sister (Kerry Condon), tries to temper his reaction, Pádraic refuses to adhere to the new status quo which causes Colm to take increasingly drastic measures.

Revisit Hot Press' recent interview with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson here.

More to follow...