Paul Mescal's mum was so stressed for his Oscar nomination she did laundry

Paul Mescal's proud mum Dearbhla was so nervous waiting for this year's Oscars nominations she scrapped it to do some washing instead.

On Tuesday (25 January), Mescal was nominated for best lead actor for his portrayal of troubled young dad Calum in Aftersun.

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He now faces off against Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Austin Butler (Elvis), Brendan Fraser (The Whale) and Bill Nighy (Living) for the gong, with the ceremony being held in Los Angeles on 12 March.

This was Mescal's first major leading film role, and in order to mark the occasion, he FaceTimed his family – completed by dad Paul, mum Dearbhla, sister Nell and son Donnacha – so they could all experience the moment together.

Dearbhla, who is still based in Ireland, spoke to RTE about the anticipation of the nominations, and revealed she got so nervous on her son's behalf she was driven to house chores to get through it.

"We’re very blessed, Donnacha was in New York, sitting in his office, Nelly was in London, she went straight to his flat," she said. "It’s an honour to watch him in this arena, I’m emotional a lot today.

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"The fact that I got to see their three faces today, the love they have for each other as siblings is second to none, I’m very happy."

She added she was folding the washing when it was confirmed Mescal was officially a nominee.

Nell later added to the family's excitement, revealing it was a much needed boost for the Mescal clam as Dearbhla prepares to start chemotherapy for cancer treatment.

"I am so proud it is making me sick," she wrote on Instagram, later sharing a grab of the call with the caption, "how on earth did this happen?"

"My mum got a haircut today in prep for her chemotherapy and then paul got nominated for an oscar life is so crazy," she added.

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Mescal later released his own statement on the nomination, and said: "This is truly a special moment for everyone involved in Aftersun.

"To be recognised by the Academy is such an insane honour and I’m so utterly grateful.

"I want to dedicate this nomination to my two friends Charlotte [Wells, director] and Frankie [Corio, co-star] who I love dearly! This is bananas, thank you!"

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