Paul Mescal hates laziness.

The 28-year-old actor has admitted to being peeved by people who "waste time" and who "aren't prepared".

Asked to reveal his biggest pet peeve, Paul told W Magazine: "Laziness. I hate people who waste time, people who aren't prepared.

"And I'm not just talking about a work context. It's like, I think I've got a good nose for when people are just kind of winging it, and I don't like that. And unless something needs to be said, I'm not going around policing laziness in society."

Paul recently played the leading role in 'Gladiator II', the Sir Ridley Scott-directed historical action film, and he relished the challenge of getting himself in tip-top shape for the part.

Paul shared: "I loved the training!

"I'm not going to be an actor who's like, 'It was torture.' Maybe that's because I'm slightly masochistic.

"But I do like the fact that it feels like a labor of sorts, finishing work and feeling physically tired. Not in being mentally overstimulated, because you get that anyway at work, but that feeling of physical engagement and needing to sleep at the end of the day - that specific kind of fatigue is not something that I've experienced on other films."

Paul shot to stardom in the hit mini-series 'Normal People' back in 2020, but he's now confessed to lying in order to land a role on the show.

The actor explained: "I said I could drive for 'Normal People', and I could not drive.

"We'd signed the paperwork, I'd gotten the part, and then I'd forgotten about doing my driver's license. So I ended up doing 'Normal People' on a provisional license. I could only drive the car if there was a fully licensed driver beside me."