At this point in time, it doesn't appear as though Normal People fans will be receiving a second season. Since the limited series is based on a book (though there are differences between them), there's only so much story to tell.
On top of being an often uncomfortably honest take on a young relationship, Normal People introduced the world to Daisy Edgar-Jones and the now notably wealthy Paul Mescal.
Both stars are intoxicating, attractive, and unbelievably raw in their roles. But just because their chemistry works so well on-screen doesn't necessarily mean it translated off-screen. In an interview with Vulture, both Daisy and Paul got extremely honest about their relationship and what really went on behind the scenes...
6 Daisy Edgar-Jones And Paul Mescal's Chemistry On Normal People
"I had done one day of chemistry tests and then Daisy came in and she absolutely smashed it. She was just absolutely brilliant," Paul Mescal said to Vulture when asked about their first meeting.
Given that Daisy was expected to go into a room and immediately have a connection with a complete stranger, there's no wonder why she was nervous. Fortunately, her mind was quickly put at ease.
"For that chemistry test in particular, there was no kind of preamble chat beforehand. We literally went straight into scenes," Daisy said to Vulture.
"For most actors, that’s the worst bit — when you have to go in, have that pre-chat, and then have to be doing intense scenes. [Director] Lenny [Abrahamson] creates a great audition room because it feels like it’s workshopping something, rather than trying to pass a test."
5 Daisy Edgar-Jones And Paul Mescal's Awkward First Meeting
Paul was already cast when Daisy was brought in to audition. It was down to 5 people for the role of Marianne and Daisy was understandably nervous.
Right before the audition, Daisy and Paul had an awkward interaction while he was on a smoke break.
"I just strung together some words. I had no banter at all because I was so nervous," Daisy admitted. "I have no idea what we talked about."
After their chemistry read, Paul ran into Daisy again. But this time he was invested in her getting the role.
"I remember saying to Lenny up in the room, 'Lenny, please tell me tomorrow who’s going to be playing Marianne.' He was like, 'Okay, I promise I’ll tell you tomorrow.' Because in my head, I was like, Daisy is going to get it. When I saw you downstairs, I really wanted to say, 'I think you’re going to get it.' I wanted to put your nerves at ease and be like, 'In my opinion, you did the best.' But that would have been such an awful thing to do. And then Lenny didn’t tell me straightaway [the next day]. He was like, 'The offer has gone out to the agent so I can’t tell you.' But then he was like, 'Just out of curiosity, who do you think we’re going to cast?' And I was like, 'I think it’s going to go to Daisy.' And he was like, 'Okay, yeah, but you can’t tell anyone.'"
4 Daisy Edgar-Jones And Paul Mescal On NSFW Scenes
Given the sheer amount of NSFW scenes in Normal People, fans wonder what the two actors actually thought of filming them. In their interview with Vulture, Paul and Daisy explained their initial thoughts when they first read the scenes in the scripts.
"I was obviously a bit trepidatious," Daisy admitted. "We hadn’t done any of that stuff before. It’s a very foreign thing, especially as a newcomer, but I really felt safe in the way [director] Lenny [Abrahamson] wanted to handle them."
While Daisy was nervous, Paul was excited.
"Initially when I read the scenes, I was really excited because they weren’t sex scenes that I had seen on screen," he explained. "That excitement then turns to trepidation when you realize that it is going to require n*dity and intimacy that is going to be out there forever."
3 Daisy Edgar-Jones And Paul Mescal On Filming Their First NSFW Scene
The first major NSFW scene happens in the second episode of the 12-part limited series. And it's a whopping ten minutes long...
"[Filming] that was fun because most of that scene is actually a dialogue scene," Daisy said to Vulture. "It’s so funny seeing two characters make light conversation when they both fully know why they’re in each other’s presence."
Both Paul and Daisy went on to explain that they ended up laughing throughout the majority of the filming process. While the scene was supposed to be a balance of hot and hilarious, the actors spent more time focusing on the latter.
"It’s so fun when you’re given space as an actor to have a laugh," Daisy continued. "We were filming in Connell’s bedroom, but the set was in a school gym. There was no ventilation or anything. That’s a lot of people crammed into that room. It was hot."
"It was so hot," Paul added.
2 Daisy Edgar-Jones And Paul Mescal On The Worst Scenes To Film
While the two leads had more fun shooting the adult scenes than they initially thought, they found others far more challenging
"I found the scenes when they’re not together quite tricky," Daisy said. "It’s like they’re missing a limb. They’re their best selves when they’re together."
"The counselor scene [where Connell breaks down crying] was one that I really wanted to get right because it’s a really important theme in the book, mental health, and depression," Paul said. "It’s really well documented by Sally. And then, the scene where he tells Marianne that he’s invited Rachel to the Debs. He’s trying to normalize it, and he just knows he’s messing it up."
1 Do Daisy Edgar-Jones And Paul Mescal Friends?
When asked about whether they've carried on a friendship after shooting the show, Daisy said, "We chat a bit, don’t we, Paul?"
She continued by saying, "We went through the shooting project together and that was a life changer. This feels a bit like that, so it’s nice to have Paul to share it with."