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Normal People's Paul Mescal says he and Daisy Edgar-Jones had a "very special" reunion to rewatch series

Photo credit: BBC/Hulu
Photo credit: BBC/Hulu

From Digital Spy

Normal People stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones shot to fame almost overnight when the addictive romantic drama series arrived on BBC Three and Hulu in April this year.

The adaptation of Sally Rooney's 2018 novel captivated viewers with the on-off love story of Connell Waldron (Mescal) and Marianne Sheridan (Edgar-Jones) as they navigated the ups and downs of school and university together, always being drawn back to each other.

Although the series dropped during the first UK lockdown, meaning that the show's stars couldn't watch it together, Mescal has revealed that he and his co-star actually enjoyed a "very special" – and maybe slightly tipsy – reunion more recently to relive the experience.

Photo credit: BBC/Hulu
Photo credit: BBC/Hulu

Related: Daisy Edgar-Jones explains how "strangest" audition was good practice for Normal People

"We hadn't actually watched it together, Daisy and I," he said during an interview with GQ. "Because of lockdown, we hadn't done that, so last week we got together and watched the whole thing through.

"We actually ended up playing a little drinking game: every time Connell wouldn't complete a sentence or any time Marianne would make an emphatic statement that made Connell uncomfortable we did a shot.

"We ended up talking over most of it, just reflecting on particular days, costume changes, memories. It was very special to get to do that with her. The thing we shared – will always share – is so unique.

"Getting to watch it over with someone who had watched you work in such a detailed way was just eye-opening for us both, I think."

Photo credit: BBC/Hulu
Photo credit: BBC/Hulu

Related: Normal People director suggests how a second series could work

Mescal added that the period between wrapping filming and the show actually premiering was "unfathomably stressful" as he waited in anticipation to find out what the reaction to the series would be.

"I went on and did another television show and a play in Dublin and I kept busy: we did a couple of reshoots. But that time was very, very difficult," he said, adding that he felt he had "no control over one of the biggest moments in my life".

"It bled into everything: that absence of control was very hard to contend with. The sense of relief when it came out was huge, for both of us, I think," he explained, adding that being at the centre of the publicity storm surrounding Normal People was "totally brutal".

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

Normal People has catapulted both lead actors to fame, with Mescal now set to star with Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman and Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson in new movie The Lost Daughter, directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Edgar-Jones, meanwhile, is set to play the lead role in new film Where the Crawdads Sing, and she has also been cast in social thriller movie Fresh.

Normal People is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.


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