BRIT STAR WHO
SHE may have starred in steamy TV drama Normal People, but if it’s normal you‘re after, then Daisy Edgar-Jones is not your girl.
The Brit is on a remarkable upward curve and is about to go stratospheric as Hollywood goes crazy for Daisy.
She ditches her English accent for a southern drawl to play Kya in the hotly anticipated adaptation of best-selling novel Where The Crawdads Sing.
The film’s producer – actress Reese Witherspoon – was blown away by North Londoner Daisy, calling her “a once-in-a-lifetime talent”.
Reese, 46, said: “Daisy is a deep-feeling, sentient human who can really morph herself into so many different characters, but you feel her vulnerability and ferocity in this performance.”
The film premieres in the UK in July – hot on the heels of current release Fresh, in which 23-year-old Daisy again has the lead role as a woman navigating the dating game.
Yet unassuming Daisy – whose first big role came in hit ITV show Cold Feet – still doesn’t think of herself as famous.
STUNNING
Director Olivia Newman said: “When we saw Daisy read, we all felt it. It was like hearing Kya’s voice.
“It was just a stunning, stunning audition. She doesn’t see herself as this big famous star.”
Delia Owens’ book Where The Crawdads Sing sold 12 million copies globally.
Daisy loved it and devoured it one day. Next morning she self-taped her audition for the role of “marsh girl” Kya.
The heartbreaking coming-of-age story is set in a coastal town in North Carolina.
It follows Kya, an abandoned girl who has lived alone in the marshes for years.
The swamps are home to crawdads – shrimp-like critters better known as crayfish.
They emit a slurp-like sound – “singing” – as water is drawn through their gills.
Kya is suspected of murder after integrating into society.
Daisy says: “I fell in love with that book so, so much.
“So to bring Kya to life is a crazy opportunity.
“It’s also a responsibility, because I just know how beloved that character is to so many people.
“It was a magical time to film. We got to be in the actual marshes in the bayou and be in her boat, in her lagoon and experience bringing that book to life – it was wonderful.
“She has such an inner strength that I would love to have myself. She’s complicated, flawed, brilliant and survives against all odds.”
Daisy, who has a cut-glass English accent, loved mastering Kya’s tones.
She added: “Accents have always been one of the most important parts of my process, if I even have one, because it informs so much about a character. My own accent is slightly self-conscious.
“That’s a big part of the British accent, it’s a little bit sarcastic.
“I found Kya’s accent weirdly easier than the more general American accent, because it’s such a clear sound.”
Superstardom has come pretty quickly for Daisy. When Normal People aired on BBC in the spring of April 2020, the UK
When we saw Daisy read we all felt it ... it was just a stunning, stunning audition
OLIVIA NEWMAN was just into its first Covid lockdown. The show, based on Sally Rooney’s novel, saw Daisy play outcast Marianne opposite Paul Mescal’s Connell.
Back then she lived in a North London flat shared with her then-boyfriend and two friends.
Her bedroom was decorated with a cloud mural and a painting of two nattily dressed crocodiles.
The role proved life-changing, earning Daisy nominations at the Critics’ Choice, BAFTA and Golden Globe awards.
She appeared on British Vogue’s 2020 list of influential women and starred in sci-fi series War of the Worlds in 2021.
Now she has a million followers on Instagram. She hit the magical figure last week, and sent a thank you to fans for their support.
Daisy grew up in Muswell Hill with her Sky TV executive dad Philip, a Scot, and Northern Irish film editor mum Wendy.
And she says it was her dad, one of the