EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE
Normal People’s Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-jones discuss their triumphant hit
You might have been a bit confused to see the phrase “Normal People” all over social media recently. Who are these “Normal People” you’ve asked yourself ? Well, if you haven’t yet had the joy of discovering it, it’s BBC Three’s adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel of the same name, which has got the entire nation talking.
The story – which centres on the relationship between Connell and Marianne, from their last year of school through to their time at university in Ireland – has resonated with viewers for its depiction of a complex and meaningful love story. Fans will tell you it’s hard to explain its genius – so much happens and, at the same time, so little happens. For the leads, Irish actor Paul Mescal, 24, and London-born Daisy Edgarjones, 22, it has catapulted them into the public eye.
While both had some acting experience, this is sure to be looked at as their breakthrough show, and critics have heaped praise on the pair for their palpable chemistry, calling the show “near perfect”. But how did they feel about embodying such beloved characters? Time to find out…
How did you feel knowing people are such huge fans of Sally Rooney’s book – and Connell and Marianne specifically? Paul: The fact that I’m nervous about that means the book is so well-loved, and that’s such a privilege. Now, having made it, to see that the appetite for the book and these two characters is still huge, it’s nerve-wracking, because everyone has a clear idea in their head and we just hope that what we did fits that. Daisy: We’re never going to please everyone, and I know that the book is so special that it’s always going to be very different and beautiful in its own way, but I think the series has captured the tone very well. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so I think I will watch it and go, “Oh, I’d have done that differently.” But I also feel that the directors, Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Mcdonald, have done such wonderful jobs, and all the writers and everyone involved in adapting it. I’m proud of what we’ve done.
You both read the book after your first audition – did it change the way you read it? D: Yes, because you’re visualising it in a way that you’re thinking, “Oh, that would be a great scene, I wonder how they’d shoot that.” You imagine the character fleshed out and you playing that person, so it’s quite an intense experience. P: Also, a lot of the things that Connell and Marianne go through are things that we may have experienced. I think that furthers the opportunity to see yourself in it and kind of expand into the idea a little bit more. Did you get on with each other from the get-go? P: Yeah, it felt quite immediate. D: We laugh now, because we had rehearsals before we started filming and we were so polite with each other. We were both no banter and all, “What do you think of this?” P: Discussing the script. D: Really serious. P: Really clichéd actor-y. D: Like, “God, I love this part, the depth, you know?” [Laughs.] It’s a long time to be spending with someone if you don’t really get on, but we have such a good friendship, so we always got the giggles. And that’s so important, because the story is quite intense – there are scenes that are quite full on and the schedule was mad, so it was nice that we could actually have a laugh when we weren’t playing Marianne and Connell. Paul, is it true that before your audition, you lied and said you could drive? P: It is true. D: I can drive, just saying. P: Essentially, I said I had a full driver’s licence, but I had no licence nor any capacity to drive! So, as we were going along through the first, second and third auditions, I was frantically trying to do lessons, because you have to do a certain amount of lessons in Ireland to get your provisional. D: I didn’t know this. P: Yeah, I was driving around on set with really expensive cameras. I am a good driver, though.
D: Paul’s actually a better driver than I am. I guess you’re allowed to drive with me in the car, because I’m a licensed driver, just so you know… But you are better than I am at driving, for sure. Have you taken your test now, Paul? P: I haven’t! But I’ve also just moved over to England and I don’t think there’s really a point in driving, but I should. And I’m sorry to Louise, who cast the series, that I lied to her. Daisy, have you ever lied in an audition? D: No… P: That’s the most Daisy answer ever. D: But I always do that thing when I leave auditions and go, “Thank you, see you soon.” And then I leave the room and I think, “I’m not going to see them soon, because I’m not going to get cast.” Was it weird being back in school uniform? D: It’s mad. As soon as you put on a school uniform you feel like… I felt like I was going through puberty again. You know, when you just feel really awkward and uncomfortable? It’s just the worst. P: And school uniforms are so deeply uncomfortable in general. D: Aren’t they? And it was quite cool, because for Marianne’s uniform, I had a really long skirt, whereas all of the other girls had shorter skirts. I had really heavy clunky boots and really long hair. I looked kind of weird, but it was
quite handy, because walking around I felt uncomfortable and awkward, like an outsider, and that’s what Marianne is meant to be at school. It was quite helpful, actually. P: It’s also bizarre to have 18 year olds walking around in school uniform. Did you have to wear your school uniform all the way through sixth form?
D: No, actually, I only had to wear uniform till I was 16. P: I had to wear it till I was 18 – it’s bizarre, isn’t it? Walking around in a jumper that scratchy. D: It’s interesting, because your identity is so much about what clothes you wear. I remember at school the type of black shoe you wore would be like who you are.
You had to do a lot of intimate sex scenes together – did either of you have to do a shot of tequila beforehand? D: That would have been good! I remember the first day we had a sex scene. I’d already had a scene on my own and that’s the scariest thing. You are a bit like, “Oh my God, what’s it going to be like?” But it’s weird how much you get used to it. After we’d done a couple, those scenes kind of blended into the whole schedule, you didn’t think about them. P: And they’re so important to the actual story. Before I got the part, Lenny sat me down and said, “Obviously, there’s going to be nudity and intimate scenes,” but it felt bizarre for him even to be saying it, because there was no part of my brain that was ever going to want to do the book without that content in it. D: That’s what’s so beautiful about the book, the way she writes about those moments, so we wanted those scenes to be as accurately represented as possible. From the first day, Paul and I were like best of friends, because once you go through that together, there are no barriers between us. But I remember we were lying on the bed… P: It was the first shot where I was fully naked. D: A full-on wide shot, and I’d arranged myself, so I was more covered. P: Unfortunately, that wasn’t available for me. D: I was just squeezing Paul’s hand being like, “We’re OK, we’re OK.” P: I distinctly remember that. I remember Daisy squeezing my hand and thinking, “I feel as safe and as comfortable as possible while still being in a really bizarre situation.” The show has been a massive success – are you ready for people to start recognising you? D: It’s so funny, I haven’t thought about it at all. I’d say, because it’s filmed in Dublin, I think – especially for Paul – it’s probably going to be a bit different. P: You imagine what it could be like, but in reality, you just don’t know. You could be recognised, but if people don’t like it… D: [Laughs.] You might be just walking down street going, “Hey, guys, do you know who I am?” P: Have a billboard above your head. “Yes, it is I!” D: Holding a picture of your headshot, “Yes, guys, it is me,” and no one cares! ■
‘Before filming, we were so polite with each other’ Daisy