Daisy Edgar-Jones has just finished being photographed for Vogue in a draughty east London pub, and Paul Mescal – her co-star in Normal People, the upcoming BBC Three adaption of the phenomenally successful novel by Irish author Sally Rooney – is giving her a congratulatory hug. “You look great,” he whispers supportively in her ear, a beaming smile on his face.
They have reason to celebrate. It’s the first magazine shoot for the newcomers, who are about to bring to life two of the most beloved and relatable literary characters of recent times – students Marianne and Connell – from a novel that’s been dubbed a future classic on both sides of the Atlantic, was nominated for a clutch of literary prizes and has sold almost a million copies since its publication in 2018.
“Yes, it’s massively stressful!” Mescal laughs, feeling the weight of responsibility. Edgar-Jones nods. “I’m always one for watching remakes and going, ‘It’s not like the book,’” she says, putting on her grouchiest voice. When I tell them I have been permitted to see the first two of the 12 half-hour episodes, and thoroughly enjoyed them, it’s as though the room has exhaled.
Set between Sligo, Dublin and Italy, Rooney’s coming-of-age tale – for the few yet to read it – revolves around Marianne and Connell’s fraught experience of first love, and all the awkward sex and unarticulated feelings it entails. We meet the pair in sixth form: Marianne – aloof, alone and in possession of a devastating arsenal of one-liners – lives with her wealthy but dysfunctional family. Connell is quiet but popular, a stalwart in a group of jocks, whose single mother cleans Marianne’s home – “the white mansion with the driveway”. We witness this unlikely twosome fall in lust, then love (and out again… several times) over the next four years, as they move to university and embark on their futures.
The two young actors are pitch perfect, although they agree neither is quite as smart as the characters they portray, who spend a lot of time discussing lofty ideas over wine. This is the first television credit for Maynooth-born Mescal, 23, who spent two years after graduating from Trinity College (where Normal People is partly set) honing his craft on the stage. Of the two, he was the first to be cast. “I was doing a play, and a lot of the guys that are in Normal People were in it. Everybody in the dressing room was like, ‘I know who Connell is.’”
Edgar-Jones, now 21, got her first break at 17, when she was cast in Cold Feet, but the Londoner was up against stiffer competition. She first knew about the part when she overheard her boyfriend helping her friend record a taped audition for it. “A month or two later, I did my chemistry read with Paul. I’d never felt adrenaline like it,” she says, her large eyes peeking through her fringe at her co-star. “I thought, ‘Yeah, he’s perfect for Connell. Please cast me.’”
Viewers should be prepared for the gut punch that comes with being transported back to 17, as Rooney, who adapted the novel herself, brings the same economy of writing and observation to the screen. The results are almost painfully nostalgic. “It gives the right weight to the depth of what it’s like feeling love for the first time,” says Edgar-Jones. “I remember my first love,” agrees Mescal in his soft Irish tones, “and I always knew where they were in a room. The camera captures that so nicely.”
The sex, too, is laudably realistic – and abundant. “My dad will have to make a lot of tea,” grins Edgar-Jones. An entire 10 minutes of the second episode is given over to Marianne losing her virginity. “One of my favourite scenes is the first time they sleep together,” says Daisy. “Instead of it being this mad romantic scene, it starts with making light conversation because they’re both fully aware of why they’re in that room.”
After five months filming together in Ireland and Italy last year, the pair are firm friends. “It’s because I’m with Paul,” Edgar-Jones explains when I query why, as a Brit, she is still speaking with a hint of an Irish accent. As for Mescal, he’s about to make the move from Dublin to London, though for how long is anyone’s guess. With a release on Hulu, Normal People may follow in the steps of BBC hits Killing Eve and Fleabag, making the pair stars stateside.
Do they let their imaginations run away with them? “Yes,” says Paul, matter-of-factly, as Daisy shakes her head with a firm “No.” “I’m trying not to think about it,” she adds, “because you never know. I hope I’m really proud of it. I hope my mum and dad like it.”
