The revelation came during a December 15 interview for Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, where the two stars, both of whom starred in TV adaptations of Sally Rooney’s emotionally charged novels, swapped thoughts on their introspective art. You know, Joe Alwyn and Paul Mescal were just a couple of sad boys trying to navigate life, love, and anxiety.
So how did these two get to the name “Tortured Man Club”? It started with a cheeky question from Mescal. “So what’s the name of the WhatsApp group that we’re in?” he asked Alwyn. To which Alwyn deadpanned, “It’s me, you—and Andrew Scott started the group.” Yeah, that Andrew Scott—the Fleabag Hot Priest himself. And according to Alwyn, Scott is practically the group’s unofficial leader, the most frequent texter, and often found messaging himself “good mornings.” Is there any other way to exist in a club dedicated to tortured souls?
But the whole “Tortured Man Club” vibe totally tracks. Both Joe and Mescal are dating musicians who are known for their deeply emotional, often confessional music—Alwyn with Taylor Swift and Mescal reportedly engaged to Phoebe Bridgers. The pair’s bond goes deeper, though. They both have a lot to say about their struggles with anxiety and how it creeps into their art and on-set experience. Mescal even went so far as to admit that fully embodying his characters often brings about “that cursed feeling of, once you feel like it’s disappearing, it comes back and hits you like a ton of bricks.” In other words, very intense.
And yet, despite all the brooding, they’re finding ways to channel that heavy energy. Mescal explained it this way: “I don’t think it’s ever going to leave you, because it’s a personality type… but for me, it’s trying to use that anxiety or fear or fear of failure—repurposing that to be like, ‘What I’m doing matters to me.’” So while these two actors may walk around with a lot of emotional weight, they know how to use it to fuel their craft.
The exchange between these two made it crystal clear—being a tortured artist is almost a badge of honor in this group. But they also shared a sense of self-awareness, realizing that this introspection isn’t just part of the job—it’s a part of who they are. It’s how they create and how they exist in the world. And really, if you’ve ever watched Normal People or Conversations With Friends, it’s easy to see how that depth translates into their work.
So, next time you see Joe Alwyn or Paul Mescal brooding on screen, just remember: it’s not just a character. It’s the “Tortured Man Club” at work, trying to make sense of all that internal chaos and turning it into something pretty damn good.
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