Before long, the world will get to see Paul Mescal's performance in Ridley Scott's highly-anticipated, long-simmering sequel "Gladiator II" as Lucius Verus, son of the original film's protagonist Maximus (Russell Crowe). If you're unfamiliar with Mescal's game, though, you might want to prepare for "Gladiator II" by watching the actor's incredible breakout role in the miniseries "Normal People," based on Sally Rooney's bestselling second novel.

"Normal People" became a huge pop culture phenomenon when it hit Hulu in the spring of 2020 -- by pure chance, it ended up coming out just as the entire world entered quarantine thanks to the COVID-19 virus, leaving people to watch a whole lot of TV at home -- and the series absolutely put Mescal and his co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones on the map. (Edgar-Jones, like Mescal, has been working steadily since appearing in the Irish series; she recently led "Twisters" with Glen Powell.)

Mescal ultimately earned an Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actor in a limited series and won trophies for his performance at the Irish Film & TV Awards and the British Academy Television Awards. So who does he play in "Normal People?" What has he been doing since, and what other accolades has he picked up along the way?