When “Normal People” premiered on BBC Three and Hulu in April 2020, it became an instant cultural phenomenon, captivating audiences worldwide with its raw, intimate portrayal of young love and complex relationships. Based on Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel, the twelve-episode series follows the intricate relationship between Connell Waldron and Marianne Sheridan as they navigate their connection from their final days in secondary school in County Sligo, Ireland, through their undergraduate years at Trinity College Dublin. The show’s success can be attributed not only to its faithful adaptation of Rooney’s nuanced writing but crucially to the extraordinary performances delivered by its cast, particularly its two leads who brought unprecedented authenticity and vulnerability to their roles.
The casting process for “Normal People” was extensive and meticulous, with directors Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald, along with casting director Louise Kiely, searching for actors who could embody the complex emotional landscape of Rooney’s characters. The chemistry between the leads was paramount, as the story’s entire emotional weight rested on the believability of Connell and Marianne’s connection. What emerged was a cast that not only met these demanding requirements but exceeded them, creating performances that have been hailed as career-defining and generation-defining in equal measure.
The impact of “Normal People” on its cast has been transformative, catapulting relatively unknown actors to international stardom and establishing them as some of the most promising talents of their generation. This comprehensive exploration delves into the backgrounds, performances, and subsequent careers of the actors who made “Normal People” one of the most talked-about television series of recent years.
Paul Mescal as Connell Waldron
Paul Mescal was born on February 2, 1996, in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland, into a family that would prove instrumental in shaping his artistic sensibilities. His father, Paul, was a teacher and semi-professional actor, while his mother, Dearbhla, was a member of the Garda Síochána (Irish police force). Growing up in a household where creativity and discipline coexisted, Mescal was exposed to the performing arts from an early age, though his initial passion was directed toward sports, particularly Gaelic football, which he played competitively throughout his youth.
Mescal’s journey to acting wasn’t immediate or predetermined. As a teenager, he excelled at Gaelic football, playing for Kildare at minor (under-18) level, and many expected him to pursue a sporting career. However, a combination of injuries and a growing interest in performance led him to reconsider his path. He began participating in school musicals and local theatre productions, discovering a natural ability to connect with audiences and a deep satisfaction in storytelling that sports couldn’t provide.
His decision to pursue acting professionally led him to The Lir Academy at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland’s premier drama school, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting in 2017. During his time at The Lir, Mescal honed his craft through intensive training in voice, movement, and various acting techniques. His tutors noted his exceptional ability to access emotional depth and his natural screen presence, qualities that would prove invaluable in his breakthrough role.
Casting Process for Normal People
The casting process for Connell was extensive and rigorous, with the production team seeing hundreds of actors for the role. Mescal’s audition journey began with a self-tape submission while he was performing in “The Great Gatsby” at Dublin’s Gate Theatre. His initial audition captured the production team’s attention with its understated intensity and the vulnerability he brought to Connell’s character. He was called back multiple times, eventually doing chemistry reads with potential Mariannes, including Daisy Edgar-Jones.
Director Lenny Abrahamson has spoken extensively about what made Mescal perfect for the role. It wasn’t just his ability to embody Connell’s physical presence – the athletic build and quiet masculinity – but his capacity to convey the character’s internal struggles and emotional complexity. Mescal understood instinctively that Connell’s strength lay not in traditional masculine bravado but in his sensitivity and vulnerability, qualities that the actor could access and portray with remarkable authenticity.
Performance and Critical Reception
Mescal’s portrayal of Connell Waldron has been universally acclaimed as one of the finest television performances of recent years. He brought to life a character who could have easily fallen into stereotype – the popular sports star who falls for the outsider – and instead created a fully realized person struggling with class anxiety, depression, and the inability to articulate his deepest feelings. His performance was marked by extraordinary subtlety, conveying volumes through glances, hesitations, and the spaces between words.
Critics particularly praised Mescal’s ability to navigate Connell’s emotional journey, from the confident but conflicted teenager in Sligo to the increasingly isolated and depressed university student. His portrayal of Connell’s mental health struggles, particularly in the later episodes dealing with suicide and grief, was handled with remarkable sensitivity and authenticity. The famous therapy scene, where Connell breaks down discussing his friend’s suicide, showcased Mescal’s ability to access profound emotional depths while maintaining complete truthfulness in his performance.
The chemistry between Mescal and Edgar-Jones became one of the series’ defining features. Their ability to convey years of history and complex emotions through subtle physical interactions and meaningful glances created an intimacy that felt almost invasive to watch. Mescal’s comfort with the show’s numerous intimate scenes, guided by intimacy coordinator Ita O’Brien, demonstrated a maturity and professionalism that belied his relative inexperience on screen.
Post-Normal People Career
Since “Normal People,” Paul Mescal’s career has ascended rapidly, establishing him as one of the most sought-after actors of his generation. His first major film role in “The Lost Daughter” (2021), directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, saw him working alongside Olivia Colman and Dakota Johnson, holding his own among seasoned performers. His performance as Will in the film demonstrated his ability to transfer his magnetic screen presence to cinema.
The psychological drama “God’s Creatures” (2022) provided Mescal with an opportunity to showcase his range, playing a morally complex character opposite Emily Watson. His portrayal of Brian O’Hara, a man accused of sexual assault in a small Irish fishing village, required him to navigate difficult territory with nuance and complexity, proving his ability to tackle challenging material beyond romantic roles.
Mescal’s most significant career moment came with “Aftersun” (2022), Charlotte Wells’s debut feature, where his performance as Calum, a young father on holiday with his daughter, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The role required him to convey depression and internal struggle while maintaining a facade of normalcy for his child, a performance of extraordinary subtlety and emotional depth. His Oscar nomination at just 27 years old placed him among the youngest Best Actor nominees in Academy history.
His upcoming projects include “Gladiator 2,” directed by Ridley Scott, where he takes on the lead role in the sequel to the 2000 epic. This casting represents a significant shift in his career trajectory, moving into big-budget blockbuster territory while maintaining his commitment to smaller, character-driven projects. His stage work has also continued, with an acclaimed run in “A Streetcar Named Desire” in London’s West End, earning him an Olivier Award nomination.
Daisy Edgar-Jones as Marianne Sheridan
Daisy Jessica Edgar-Jones was born on May 24, 1998, in Islington, London, to an English father, Philip, who works as a television executive, and a Northern Irish mother, Wendy, who works in film editing. Growing up in a creative household in Muswell Hill, North London, Edgar-Jones was exposed to the entertainment industry from an early age, though her parents were careful not to push her toward performing. Her interest in acting developed organically through school plays and youth theatre, where she discovered a passion for storytelling and character exploration.
Edgar-Jones trained at the National Youth Theatre and the Open Door Theatre Company, where she developed her craft alongside other young performers. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she chose not to attend drama school, instead building her experience through television work while completing her education. This practical approach to learning her craft through professional experience rather than formal training would prove beneficial in developing her naturalistic acting style.
Her early television career included roles in British series such as “Cold Feet” (2016-2020), where she played Olivia, and “War of the Worlds” (2019-2021). These roles, while not leading parts, provided valuable experience in long-form television storytelling and working with established actors. Her performance in “Cold Feet” particularly demonstrated her ability to hold her own in ensemble casts and navigate both comedic and dramatic material.
Landing the Role of Marianne
The casting process for Marianne was even more extensive than that for Connell, with the production team seeing numerous actors from Ireland, the UK, and beyond. Edgar-Jones initially submitted a self-tape from her bedroom while filming “War of the Worlds” in Wales. Her interpretation of Marianne immediately caught the attention of the casting team, who were struck by her ability to convey both Marianne’s intellectual confidence and her deep vulnerability.
The chemistry test with Paul Mescal proved decisive. Director Lenny Abrahamson has described the moment when Edgar-Jones and Mescal read together for the first time as electric, with an immediate connection that translated perfectly to the complex dynamic between their characters. Despite not being Irish, Edgar-Jones’s commitment to perfecting the accent and understanding the cultural nuances of the character impressed the creative team.
Bringing Marianne to Life
Edgar-Jones’s portrayal of Marianne Sheridan was a masterclass in complex character development. She created a character who was simultaneously strong and fragile, confident and insecure, passionate and withdrawn. Her performance captured Marianne’s evolution from the defensive, isolated teenager in Sligo to the seemingly confident but deeply troubled young woman at Trinity, navigating the character’s trauma and self-destructive tendencies with remarkable sensitivity.
One of the most impressive aspects of Edgar-Jones’s performance was her ability to convey Marianne’s intellectual prowess without making her seem pretentious or unlikeable. She found the humanity in a character who could have easily become a stereotype of the troubled smart girl. Her portrayal of Marianne’s complicated relationship with intimacy and her family trauma was handled with extraordinary nuance, never allowing the character to become defined solely by her struggles.
The intimate scenes in “Normal People” required Edgar-Jones to display remarkable bravery and professionalism. Working with intimacy coordinator Ita O’Brien, she approached these scenes as essential parts of the storytelling, conveying the evolution of Marianne and Connell’s physical relationship with honesty and authenticity. Her comfort with vulnerability, both emotional and physical, elevated these scenes beyond mere romance to become profound explorations of human connection.
Career Trajectory Since Normal People
Following “Normal People,” Daisy Edgar-Jones has established herself as one of the most promising young actors in film and television. Her first major film role came in “Fresh” (2022), a horror-comedy where she played Noa opposite Sebastian Stan. The role allowed her to showcase her range, combining romantic comedy elements with horror and demonstrating her ability to carry a feature film as the lead.
“Where the Crawdads Sing” (2022) became Edgar-Jones’s first major commercial success, with the film adaptation of Delia Owens’s bestselling novel earning over $140 million worldwide. Her portrayal of Kya Clark, the “Marsh Girl” accused of murder in 1960s North Carolina, required her to master an American accent and carry much of the film alone, proving her ability to anchor a mainstream Hollywood production.
The survival thriller “Twisters” (2024) saw Edgar-Jones taking on a big-budget disaster film, playing a meteorologist opposite Glen Powell. This role represented another significant step in her career, demonstrating her ability to handle action sequences and special effects-heavy productions while maintaining the emotional authenticity that characterized her earlier work.
Her upcoming projects include diverse genres and filmmakers, showing a strategic approach to building a varied career. She has expressed interest in returning to theatre and continuing to work on British productions while building her international profile, maintaining connections to her roots while embracing global opportunities.
Sarah Greene as Lorraine Waldron
Sarah Greene’s portrayal of Connell’s mother, Lorraine, provided one of the series’ most grounding and emotionally resonant performances. An accomplished Irish actress with extensive theatre experience, including a Tony nomination for “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” Greene brought depth and complexity to what could have been a simple supporting role. Her Lorraine was warm, perceptive, and complicated – a single mother working as a cleaner who maintains dignity and wisdom despite her economic circumstances.
Greene’s scenes with Mescal created a believable mother-son dynamic that anchored Connell’s character development. Her ability to convey Lorraine’s love for her son while acknowledging the limitations her circumstances placed on his life added layers to the show’s exploration of class and opportunity. The scene where Lorraine confronts Connell about his treatment of Marianne became one of the series’ most powerful moments, with Greene delivering a masterclass in subtle emotional expression.
Aislín McGuckin as Denise Sheridan
Aislín McGuckin’s performance as Marianne’s mother, Denise, created one of the series’ most complex antagonistic figures. Rather than playing Denise as a simple villain, McGuckin found the damaged humanity in a woman whose own trauma manifested in emotional abuse toward her daughter. Her cold, controlled performance made Marianne’s home life feel genuinely oppressive, helping audiences understand the protagonist’s self-destructive tendencies.
McGuckin, a veteran of Irish theatre and television, brought gravitas and credibility to the role. Her scenes at the family dinner table were exercises in tension, using minimal dialogue and maximum subtext to convey the toxic dynamics of the Sheridan household. Her performance contributed significantly to the show’s exploration of how family trauma shapes identity and relationships.
Frank Blake as Alan Sheridan
Frank Blake’s portrayal of Marianne’s brother Alan was genuinely unsettling, creating a character whose casual cruelty and entitled behavior made him one of the series’ most disliked figures. Blake, primarily a theatre actor, brought a theatrical intensity to the role that contrasted effectively with the naturalistic performances around him, making Alan feel like an intrusive, destructive force in Marianne’s life.
His physical intimidation of Marianne and psychological manipulation were portrayed with a restraint that made them more disturbing than explicit violence would have been. Blake’s performance contributed to the show’s unflinching examination of domestic abuse and the ways family members can perpetuate cycles of harm.
Eanna Hardwicke as Rob Hegarty
Eanna Hardwicke’s performance as Rob, Connell’s friend who dies by suicide, provided one of the series’ most heartbreaking storylines. Despite limited screen time, Hardwicke created a fully realized character whose struggles with mental health resonated deeply with audiences. His chemistry with Mescal established a believable friendship that made Rob’s death and Connell’s subsequent grief genuinely devastating.
Hardwicke’s portrayal avoided stereotypes about depression and suicide, showing Rob as a complex individual whose struggles weren’t immediately apparent. His performance contributed to important conversations about mental health, particularly among young men, that the series sparked globally.
Fionn O’Shea as Jamie
Fionn O’Shea brought complexity to Jamie, Marianne’s boyfriend at Trinity, who could have been a one-dimensional antagonist. Instead, O’Shea created a character whose privilege and casual cruelty felt authentic to certain types of entitled young men in elite educational settings. His performance helped explore themes of class, power, and the ways social dynamics shift in different environments.
O’Shea, who had previously starred in “Handsome Devil” and “Dating Amber,” brought experience in portraying complex young Irish characters. His scenes with Edgar-Jones effectively conveyed the toxicity of their relationship while showing how Marianne’s trauma led her to accept poor treatment.
The Chemistry Between the Leads
The chemistry between Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones became the defining element of “Normal People’s” success. Their ability to create believable intimacy – both physical and emotional – elevated the series beyond typical romantic drama. The actors spent weeks in rehearsal before filming, developing their characters’ shared history and understanding the nuances of their relationship.
Working with intimacy coordinator Ita O’Brien was crucial in creating the show’s intimate scenes. O’Brien’s methodology helped Mescal and Edgar-Jones approach these scenes as choreographed extensions of their characters’ emotional journeys rather than separate, awkward requirements. This professional approach allowed them to maintain boundaries while creating authentic portrayals of physical intimacy.
The actors have spoken about developing their own communication methods and shorthand during filming, allowing them to maintain the intensity of their performances while supporting each other through emotionally demanding scenes. Their mutual respect and professionalism created a safe environment for the vulnerable work the roles required.
Maintaining the Connection
Throughout the series’ twelve episodes, Mescal and Edgar-Jones maintained remarkable consistency in their characters’ connection, even as Connell and Marianne went through periods of separation. They conveyed years of history in glances across crowded rooms and made reunions feel simultaneously inevitable and surprising. Their ability to modulate their chemistry – from teenage awkwardness to adult complexity – demonstrated remarkable control and understanding of their craft.
The actors’ real-life friendship, which developed during production and continues today, informed their on-screen dynamic. Their genuine affection and respect for each other translated into performances that felt lived-in rather than performed, contributing to the show’s documentary-like authenticity.
Impact on the Actors’ Lives
The explosion of “Normal People” during the early COVID-19 lockdown created unique circumstances for its cast, particularly Mescal and Edgar-Jones. They went from relative unknowns to international stars while the world was in isolation, experiencing fame primarily through social media rather than traditional publicity tours. This unusual situation created both challenges and opportunities in managing their sudden celebrity.
Both lead actors have spoken about the surreal nature of becoming famous during lockdown, watching their show become a global phenomenon from their homes. The inability to fully experience or process their success in traditional ways – through premieres, press tours, and public appearances – created a disconnection between their private lives and public personas.
The intense scrutiny that followed, particularly on social media, required both actors to quickly develop strategies for maintaining privacy and mental health. They’ve both spoken about the importance of staying grounded, maintaining connections with family and friends from before fame, and being selective about what they share publicly.
FAQs
Are Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal in a relationship in real life?
While Daisy and Paul had undeniable on-screen chemistry, they have kept their personal lives private. Reports suggest they were linked briefly during filming, but both actors have mainly focused on their careers since the series aired.
How did the actors prepare for their roles in Normal People?
Both Daisy and Paul spent months rehearsing and developing deep character understanding. They attended workshops to explore the emotional and intimate dynamics between Marianne and Connell. Their method acting approach contributed to the realistic portrayal of the complex romance.
Is there a second season of Normal People?
No, Normal People is a limited series based on Sally Rooney’s 2018 novel. The story is fully told in one season, so there are no plans for a continuation. However, both Daisy and Paul continue to have prominent careers in film and TV.
In Summary
The Normal People cast, led by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal, delivered a performance that resonated deeply with audiences worldwide. Their authentic portrayal of Marianne and Connell brought Sally Rooney’s beloved novel to life, earning critical acclaim and several award nominations. While the series is limited to one season, the impact of its storytelling and the rising careers of its cast members continue to draw interest. Fans remain eager to follow the actors’ journeys in film and television, keeping the legacy of Normal People alive long after the series ended.
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