Laura & Evanna: Our pals want to Paul an Irishman
Normal People obsession
HARRY Potter star Evanna Lynch and Love Island host Laura Whitmore revealed how their friends are obsessed with Irish men since Normal People became a global phenomenon.
The pair, who were chatting on Laura’s Castaway podcast, are bowled over by the new interest in their fellow countrymen thanks to Paul Mescal’s performance as Connell in the series.
Evanna said: “Women are obsessed with Irish men now. People [ are] almost fetishising our culture a little bit. It i s kind of nice because I definitely grew up not hearing enough Irish accents on screen and not hearing people l i ke me r e p r e s e n t e d a n d u s i n g terminology from American and English teenagers.
“It’s just really nice to have the TV show where it’s like, we’re not going to explain ourselves, we’re just going to show our culture.”
Laura added: “I don’t know what’s happening to you but all my English mates are like, ‘ You have to introduce me to an Irish man’. I ’m like, ‘ Not everyone is Connell’.” ll’ ”
Evanna i nterjected: “A l ot of them are. All my girlfriends have been like, ‘ Oh my God, Paul Mescal, I ’m just so in love with him’.
“And I’m like, ‘ Just go to Ireland, they’re all emotionally repressed and soulful’.”
But she said she wasn’t as taken with Connell’s character as many of her non- Irish friends, adding: “I didn’t have that. I was like, no, [ Connell] just reminds me too much of my brother, like a really decent chap but he’s not saying enough.”