Daisy Edgar-Jones has opened up on how she is learning to deal with sudden international fame – with support coming from an unusual source.
The Normal People star, 22, revealed to NET-A-PORTER's digital title Porter that her father Philip, a former executive producer on Big Brother, gave her “the talk of doom” used for contestants in order to give her a perspective on the realities of fame.
“My dad had a really good insight into handling some form of spotlight,” she explained. “He gave me the ‘talk of doom’, he called it, which was something they used to do to Big Brother contestants, where they’d give you a talk on what fame was like.
“He was good at [saying], ‘Keep your head screwed on, keep your feet on the floor, don’t get too swept up in something; you’re still you, you haven’t changed, even if people around you might.’”
However, with the world more or less still on lockdown in the months after Normal People was released, Edgar-Jones added that her life hasn’t really changed as spectacularly as first thought – which has made it more difficult for her to comprehend the success of Normal People.
“We just can’t believe the reaction,” she said. “I turn my phone off and then I’m just inside, and my life isn’t very different, so it’s difficult to comprehend that it really is that big.”
An adaptation of Sally Rooney’s hugely popular novel was almost guaranteed to spark interest from viewers; however, what many were (pleasantly) taken aback by was the realistic and honest nature of the sex scenes between Marianne (played by Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal).
Working with intimacy co-ordinator Ita O’Brien to make the sex look as natural as possible, Edgar-Jones admitted she did feel “vulnerable” baring all on camera.
“You need more protection because it is a stunt, with physical manoeuvres that you need to make look realistic – just like in a fight scene,” she said. “Mentally, it’s a really vulnerable place to put yourself in.”
Edgar-Jones said she enjoyed playing the multi-layered and complicated Marianne, adding that Mescal has become a close friend after filming.
“It’s really fun to play a woman who is incredibly flawed and complicated and isn’t just there to giggle along to whatever the man says. [She] has a strong mind and puts on lots of different masks as the show goes on,” she explained.
“I feel very lucky to have met Paul through this process. He’s a wonderful, wonderful person and a very giving actor... He’ll be a friend for life.”
To see the full interview with Daisy Edgar-Jones read Porter at www.net-a-porter.com or download the NET-A-PORTER app for iPhone, iPad and Android.
