Normal People 5 years on: Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones’ meteoric rise to fame

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal in BBC’s Normal People (Picture: BBC/Element Pictures/Hulu)

In those hollow moments after bingeing a spectacular TV show, I often find myself scouring the internet, desperate to find a cast interview or behind-the-scenes look that makes it feel like the series isn’t over.

When it came to Normal People starring Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, which was adapted from Sally Rooney’s equally brilliant novel, it was certainly no exception.

To come to terms with the fact that I was never going to enjoy one of Connell and Marianne’s awkward little silences again, or see them FINALLY be happy in a relationship, was too great a weight to bear.

So, during the umpteenth cast interview I had sat through, Mescal – via Zoom during a Covid lockdown – responded to a fan question by saying it was ‘probably unhealthy’ to watch the show more than once considering its heart-wrenching ending.

Today marks five years since it was first released and as someone who has watched the show many, many times, I’m inclined to strongly disagree.

The BBC/Hulu limited series contains something that many shows have failed to capture since, and in the process it’s delivered two of Hollywood’s biggest stars today in Mescal and Edgar-Jones.

The duo played Connell and Marianne in the series (Picture: BBC/Element Pictures/Hulu) The limited series was a smash hit (Picture: BBC/Element Pictures/Hulu)

Painstaking honesty

In a world today where Instagram snippets and five-second TikTok dance routines reign supreme, what’s so impressive about Normal People is how enjoyable its silences are.

A tender look between Connell and Marianne or a subtle glance down the school corridors carries with it so much more weight than heavy, expositional dialogue can ever achieve.

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald, the series doesn’t rely on gimmicks or cheap melodramatic subplots.

It stays completely grounded in reality and through such painstakingly honest and simple dialogue turns what would seem like the most mundane school relationship into what feels like a life or death situation.

But despite that rare balance, the performances of Edgar-Jones, 26, and Mescal, 29, continue to receive praise today.

The show charted the heartbreaking story of Connell and Marianne (Picture: BBC/Element Pictures/Hulu) It launched both actor’s careers (Picture: BBC/Element Pictures/Hulu)

From Connell’s chain to being chained up as a Gladiator

It seems bizarre now to think how both Mescal and Edgar-Jones became overnight celebrities while the world was still under strict orders to quarantine.

Testament to the show’s prowess, it managed find a place in people’s hearts when they had nothing else to do but sit inside and watch the TV.

But since then, Mescal has embarked on what appears to be a juggernaut Hollywood career, with him recently being announced to star in the latest Beatles biopic as Paul McCartney.

After his stint as Connell, Mescal has made astute career decisions, not opting for high-budget projects and instead focusing on roles he is passionate about.

After starring in The Lost Daughter, he was nominated for an Oscar for his turn in Aftersun before he appeared in All of Us Strangers, Foe and Gladiator II.

Mescal starring in Gladiator II (Picture: Paramount Pictures/Aidan Monaghan)

Crawdads and Twisters

Edgar-Jones has similarly not jumped at rash projects and has instead found critical acclaim in both film and television.

After appearing in Normal People, she went on to star in Under the Banner of Heaven, which featured Andrew Garfield.

Edgar-Jones has also played Noa in Fresh, with Sebastian Stan.

Following that, she was in the smash hit Twisters with Glen Powell.

What does the future hold?

Excuse the incoming (yawn) cliché, but it honestly feels like yesterday when the world was first introduced to Connell and Marianne during lockdown.

The hold it had on our lives then, and still has on mine today, is truly spectacular when you sit back and think about it.

There have been whispers of a second season and even Edgar-Jones teasing that she would like to revisit the role of Marianne, according to the BBC.

But whatever the future holds for these two, I’m certain that the next five years will be even more prosperous.

The next film for Edgar-Jones will be Swift Horses, starring Jacob Elordi, meanwhile Mescal will star in The History of Sound, which features Challengers star Josh O’Connor.

Normal People is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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