Daisy Edgar-Jones has shared her honest experience of working with male co-stars throughout her career, and it might not be what you expect.
The film and TV industry has endured a period of heightened scrutiny following the #MeToo movement, debate about gender pay-gaps and increased awareness of class and racism. Edgar-Jones has considered herself “lucky” in the climate.
The 26-year-old shot to fame for her role as Marianne Sheridan in Normal People in 2020, the series adaption of Sally Rooney’s popular romance novel. She starred alongside Gladiator II star Paul Mescal in the series, which has since gained a cult following and launched global careers for its leads. Through her career she has also worked alongside Glen Powell in thrillerTwisters last year, and Sebastian Stan in horror-thriller Fresh.
“I have worked with basically all of the internet’s boyfriends,” she told Elle. “I’m lucky that every actor I’ve worked with has been incredibly supportive of me being the lead. Glen, Sebastian, Paul, all of them.”
She added: “I think that’s why they’re so successful and so loved and so good: that they are so generous, and they really serve the story and are not serving themselves.”
Edgar-Jones shared examples of the kind of conversations she is used to having with her co-stars on the set of her blockbuster movies.
“Glen was always like, ‘What’s Kate’s journey in this? Let’s find it.’” she said of working with Powell on Twisters.
She then went on to talk about working with Stan and Mescal on Fresh and Normal People respectively.
“And same with Sebastian; he was so completely invested in Noa’s journey. Paul’s like playing tennis with your best friend. I’m nervous for the point that it comes to working with someone who might not be so chill with it. Because there’s so much ego that can exist in this industry.”
Meanwhile, Harris Dickinson, who starred alongside Edgar-Jones in Where the Crawdads Sing, returned the compliment, saying of his co-star: “She’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. She has immense patience and sensitivity. I think that makes her a brilliant artist, too, because it means she’s fully tuned in.”
