Paul Mescal and Gracie Abrams Kiss at BAFTAs as Nomination Night Turns Public
Paul Mescal attended the 2026 British Academy Film Awards in London with Gracie Abrams, appearing arm in arm at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall and sharing a kiss on the evening he was celebrated for a nomination. The appearance closed a week that also included the pair’s first formal public photo call and underscored the couple’s cautious move into a more visible chapter.
Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall appearance
The couple arrived at the BAFTAs at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London for an evening described as a celebration. They posed together on the carpet, arriving arm in arm, and shared a kiss; another description of the moment specified the kiss was on the cheek. The ceremony that night also featured other high-profile attendees, including Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Prince William and Princess Kate, and saw Jessie Buckley take an award while wearing Chanel.
Paul Mescal’s nomination and past BAFTA history
Mescal was a nominee that night for his role as William Shakespeare in Hamnet, up for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. His presence was tied to that nomination, and the evening functioned as both celebration and publicity. Mescal previously won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Actor in 2021 for his work on Normal People, a concrete milestone that frames the current nomination within his track record.
Gracie Abrams in Chanel’s 2026 Métiers d’art collection
Abrams selected a Chanel dress from Matthieu Blazy’s 2026 Métiers d’art collection for the event. The gown was described as a black sleeveless design trimmed with teal-blue beading and embellished with aquatic motifs in varying shades of red and brown, with an open back that highlighted her short hair. One account characterized her hair as an extra-short bob and long diamond earrings; another described it as a dark pixie cut paired with kitten-heel pumps. She kept accessories restrained with a statement diamond ring, black pointy-toe heels in one description and black kitten-heel pumps in another, and matched deep-brown nail polish to the dress in the more detailed fashion account.
Prada styling and sartorial details for Mescal
Mescal’s look combined tailoring and informality: he wore a black Prada suit—named as Prada by Felicity Kay in one description—paired with a white dress shirt. Descriptions of his styling noted an open or unbuttoned jacket and an open collar; one account said he rolled his sleeves up while another said he folded over the cuffs, both underscoring a deliberately relaxed approach to red carpet dressing.
Earlier public appearance at the Man On The Run premiere
Earlier in the same week the pair had made their first official public appearance together at the London premiere for Sir Paul McCartney’s documentary Man On The Run, a first formal photo call after they had been seen together in public for some time. They have been spotted together since 2024, in settings ranging from city streets to festival sites, and have otherwise kept their relationship private over the past couple of years.
Personal notes, public signals and what it suggests
Abrams also marked the occasion of a birthday in an Instagram post that addressed both Paul and her close friend Clemmy, writing, "My whole heart!!!!!!!!! I love February 2… Happy birthday, I love you both more than words could ever describe. Thank you for making everything better. " The decision to appear together on the BAFTA evening was clearly linked to Mescal’s nomination; the nomination functioned as the immediate reason for their joint presence and for a more outward display of partnership. What makes this notable is the alignment of a major industry event with a carefully managed step into public visibility—timing that offered both celebration and a controlled introduction of the couple to the awards-season spotlight.
