Paul Mescal says he met Nicole Kidman for the first time while wearing 'sweaty underwear'

Paul Mescal says he casually met Nicole Kidman for the first time while wearing nothing but his 'sweaty underwear'.

The Irish actor - who is starring as Stanley Kowalski in a West End version of A Streetcar Named Desire - made a memorable appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday (2 March).

The critically acclaimed, sold out production has transferred to London and will run for six weeks at the Phoenix theatre from 20 March.

Oscar nominee Mescal will be joined by Anjana Vasan (as Stanley’s wife, Stella), Patsy Ferran (as Blanche DuBois) and Dwane Walcott (as Mitch).

"It’s wonderful to be able to share it with a wider audience," Mescal said.

ABC

However, after one showing, the Irish actor says he received an unexpected back-stage visit from Hollywood icon Nicole Kidman.

“We heard a knock on the [dressing room] door, and we thought it was the stage manager or something, and I go to open the door,” the actor recalled.

“And it’s Nicole Kidman, and I’m standing there in, like, sweaty underwear.

Instagram/nicolekidman

“You’d think the next smart step is [to] put on some trousers, but there’s something incredibly undignified about the act of [pulling up trousers].”

“It’s not a look you want to be caught in, [bending] over,” he quipped.

Mescal has received a 'Best Actor' nomination for his role as a young father in Aftersun at the 95th Academy Awards, and Kimmel is set to host the event.

Just last month, viewers who tuned into the 2023 SAG Awards think they spotted a very awkward encounter between Zendaya and Mescal.

The pair were in attendance at the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards (26 February) to present the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series award.

As the two stars stood from their tables and exchanged a quick smile, Mescal appeared to offer Zendaya his hand to hold to help her up the stairs.

Netflix

But after awkwardly refusing to take his hand, the Normal People star then appeared to try and hold her arm to be the ultimate gentleman and escort her to the stage

Things then get even more awkward as Zendaya quickly moved her arm away, probably without realising what the 27-year-old Irish actor was trying to do.

"Not zendaya giving PAUL THE ARM and he didn’t take," one fan reacted on Twitter.

Another viewer ran to Twitter and wrote: "Not Zendaya swerving Paul Mescal's hand."

Someone else concluded: "Paul Mescal tried to escort Zendaya and she wasn’t into it."