Paul Mescal is an example of a truly transformative actor who knows how to give a raw, authentic performance. His best movies include portraying a young father in A24’s Aftersun, a mysterious neighbor in All of Us Strangers, and his upcoming 2024 movie release, Gladiator II. However, the Irish actor reveals his previous fear that his first big role, Normal People, would be “lights out” for his career due to one important element the romance-drama series needed to have.
Based on Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel, Normal People stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones as Connell and Marianne navigating their complex relationship despite being in different social classes. While Mescal flawlessly played the popular, high-achieving student, the rising star admitted on First We Feast that he almost thought his first acting gig wasn’t going to happen due to the struggle of chemistry reads:
Normal People, I did some chemistry reads with other actresses for Marianne, and we didn't get the Marianne from the first round of chemistry reads. I thought at that point that could be lights out for me, because they'll just go back to the drawing board.
I could understand that fear. After all, Normal People relies on the chemistry between the two leads. The entire story falls on Connell and Marianne's relationship throughout the span of twelve episodes. If the two actors fail to find that special on-screen spark, audiences will see that zero chemistry between the romance leads and fail to believe it as well. Fortunately, Daisy Edgar-Jones saved the day providing Paul Mescal the on-screen chemistry the show needed to succeed.
It must have been a huge relief for Paul Mescal to work with an actress he connected so well with to excellently bring their characters to life. On the other hand, the Academy Award nominee was aware that the project could have easily been scrapped if casting didn’t go well:
They could have very easily done that, but thankfully they didn't. And Daisy was the second to last person who walked in. You hear actors and directors talk about it kind of incessantly, but when you know, you know. And when Daisy walked in it was unanimous.
The on-screen pairing of Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones couldn’t be more perfect to portray Connell and Marianne. What made their chemistry stand the test of time was how subtle and deep-layered it was. This wasn’t a soap opera. They both beautifully represented their characters’ grief, anxiety, and depression, showing what can genuinely make a relationship so complex to keep together.
The booming partnership between Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones clearly did something right as it helped Normal People become one of Hulu’s best original TV shows. The romance drama also scored four nominations at the 2020 Emmys, including Paul Mescal for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. Mescal must have felt incredibly fortunate to have his first major acting gig give him such critical acclaim.
Thankfully, it wasn’t “lights out” for Paul Mescal’s career after experiencing a triumphant chemistry reading with Daisy Edgar-Jones for Normal People. The two stars’ performances led to Mescal being part of an award-winning show that landed him a BAFTA win and plenty of more praiseworthy projects that followed. You can watch the talented actor’s first major acting gig with Normal People available on your Hulu subscription.
