Melissa Barrera Says She Felt Safe With ‘Carmen’ Co-Star Paul Mescal, Who She Calls The “Best On-Screen Partner”

Melissa Barrera Says Paul Mescal Is A Safe Actor To Work With On-Screen

Melissa Barrera revealed that she felt safe with ‘Carmen‘ co-star Paul Mescal, whom she calls the “best on-screen partner.” According to the 32-year-old actress, “Mescal is so supportive and comforting; you just feel safe with him. It was beautiful to get to share this with him.”

In an interview with PEOPLE during the premiere of ‘Carmen’ on Thursday at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Los Angeles. Barrera told that Mescal is “so supportive and comforting; you just feel safe with him.” She added, “It’s so easy to connect with him. And it was beautiful to get to share this with him.”

Carmen is based on an 1845 novella by French writer Prosper Mérimée. The film is directed by Benjamin Millepied and follows a young and fiercely independent woman, Carmen, who is forced to flee her home in the Mexican desert following the brutal murder of her mother. She survives an illegal border crossing into the US, only to be confronted by a lawless volunteer border guard. When the border guard and his patrol partner Aidan become embroiled in a deadly standoff, the pair is forced to escape together.

Read the official synopsis from Sony Pictures Classics below:

Carmen follows a young and fiercely independent woman who is forced to flee her home in the Mexican desert following the brutal murder of her mother. Carmen (MELISSA BARRERA) survives a terrifying and dangerous illegal border crossing into the US, only to be confronted by a lawless volunteer border guard, who cold-bloodedly murders two other immigrants in her group. When the border guard and his patrol partner, Aidan (PAUL MESCAL)—a Marine with PTSD—become embroiled in a deadly standoff, Carmen and Aidan are forced to escape together. They make their way north towards Los Angeles in search of Carmen’s mother’s best friend, the mercurial Masilda (ROSSY DE PALMA) and owner of La Sombra nightclub – a sanctuary of music and dance. Carmen and Aidan find both solace and their unwavering love for one another in the safety of Masilda’s magical refuge, but time is running out as the police hunt closes in.

The film will have a limited theatrical release in the United States on April 21, 2023, by Sony Pictures Classics.

Source: PEOPLE