The wait to see Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal as lovers in The History of Sound is nearly over, but the stars aren’t making the wait any easier. Over the weekend at the Telluride Film Festival, O’Connor shared a playful, and very intimate, story about one of the film’s most talked-about scenes.
A Spit Take, Literally
During a Q&A following the Colorado screening, O’Connor described what GQ has already dubbed “the horniest moment in the film.” Before Lionel (Mescal) and David (O’Connor) share their first sexual encounter, David spits water directly into Lionel’s mouth.
“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,” O’Connor said with a laugh, acting out Mescal reclining with his mouth open.
Mescal chimed in, joking, “If you clipped this without sound it would be…” before trailing off, leaving both actors and the audience cracking up.
War, Love, and Sound
Directed by Oliver Hermanus, the WWI-set romance follows two young men traveling across the United States to record the voices, music, and stories of their countrymen. Along the way, Lionel and David’s partnership turns deeply personal.
The unusual intimacy of the spit scene is just one example of how the film approaches desire in unexpected ways. O’Connor’s anecdote gave festival-goers a glimpse into the offbeat chemistry that drives the movie.
From Cannes to Telluride
The History of Sound made its debut earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, where reviews were divided. Despite the reception, Mescal pushed back against easy comparisons to Brokeback Mountain, calling them “lazy.”
Since then, two trailers have been released, one highlighting the tender moments between Mescal and O’Connor and even showing off Mescal’s singing voice.
Why Fans Are Buzzing
For audiences, the promise of seeing two of the internet’s most beloved actors explore queer romance on screen is already enough reason to show up. Add in stories like O’Connor gleefully recounting spitting in Mescal’s mouth, and anticipation for the film is only building.
The History of Sound has no wide release date yet, but if early festival reactions are any indication, expect plenty of conversation once it hits theaters.
