Paul Mescal is best known for his moving role as Connell in the Hulu adaptation of Sally Rooney's Normal People.
He spoke with TODAY alongside co-lead Daisy Edgar-Jones about the care and detail that went into filming the series. The embracing of men's emotions is part of what made the project so special to him.
Tabooed Emotions
Mescal described how it was nearly impossible for him to not correlate the emotional factor of his role to widespread depression during the pandemic. He talked about the relatable power behind a scene in which Connell meets with a counselor.
"I think it would be remiss of me to say that I think that young men are more hesitant to talk about their emotions. I'm really proud of that scene in terms of how positive it is but also how it's not papering over the cracks."
"It's quite a sad moment in this young man's life. It's also a moment where he's kind of taking control and doing the right thing, even though it's difficult."
"I think that if that's one of the messages that people take from the show," he continued on the attention to mental health, "That it's a really healthy thing and a really important thing to talk about your emotions when you need to."
"The Power Of Communication"
TODAY’s Sheinelle Jones said what every fan has thought at some point along with their binge-watching of Normal People. The show sheds an honest light on the trickle-down effect in relationships that follows failures in communication.
Daisy Edgar-Jones first responded, "What's really interesting is those two characters are very intelligent. Sometimes, therefore, their inner voice and insecurities can overthink everything."
"They don't always seem to have this streamlined, clear communication when it comes to really simple stuff. I think it was quite a challenge to communicate a lot of that stuff. Sally has written such a beautifully detailed book and you have such a depth of knowledge about your characters," she concluded.
It's the unspoken thoughts and takeaways from complicated feelings and assumptions that made Normal People's viewers yell at their screens. "Just get together already," we screamed in unison.
However, when a few breaths are taken, it's easy to see how that's a simpler statement than action.