HomeTagsPosts tagged with "Normal People"

Normal People

Be still our beating hearts. We really could not be any happier for this young Irish actor, who seems to be having a much better 2020 than the rest of us!

It has just been revealed by The Hollywood Reporter that Normal People’s breakout actor, Paul Mescal will be starring in his very first film, The Lost Daughter.

This is incredible news for the Emmy-nominee — not only because it’s his feature film debut, but also because the production has quite a few big names attached to it already; including the likes of Olivia Colman from The Crown and Fleabag, along with Jessie Buckley of Fargo and Dakota Johnson of Fifty Shades fame.

The Lost Daughter is based on a book of the same name by critically acclaimed author, Elena Ferrante. After receiving a letter from Maggie Gyllenhaal requesting if she could adapt the book for the big screen, Ferrante agreed with one condition, that Gyllenhaal agrees to direct too. And so The Lost Daughter will be Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut.

What will it be about though? Well, Olivia Coleman plays an elegant college professor and mother, on a seaside summer vacation. She soon becomes fearful and overwhelmed by memories of her early motherhood journey. Forced to consider the unconventional choices she made as a young mother and the consequences they had for her family, she begins to unravel. 

After seeing Paul adapt the character of Sally Rooney’s Connell Waldron so perfectly, earning him his first Emmy nomination, we’re sure he’s going to absolutely excel at this new role too. Since filming has yet to begin though, we're sure to be in for a long wait.

Trending

Daisy Edgar-Jones celebrated her 22nd birthday this weekend and her Normal People co-star Paul Mescal penned a sweet birthday tribute to the actress. To mark her special day, Mescal shared a series of photos of the actress, including a behind the scenes photo from when the pair were filming Normal People in Dublin.

Alongside the beautiful photos, the actor wrote, “Happy birthday to this LEGEND! @daisyedgarjones you are one of a kind. Have the best day ever.”

Edgar-Jones recently opened up about how special their friendship is. The 22-year-old joined author and journalist Elizabeth Day on her fantastic How To Fail podcast (which you need to listen to.)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Paul Mescal (@paul.mescal) on

The Normal People star couldn’t help but gush about how special their friendship is. She said that she will treasure their relationship forever. “Paul and I’s relationship is the complete polar opposite to Marianne and Connell’s. Marianne and Connell are quite serious at times, they do have a laugh together, but they’re quite deep and speak about quite big subjects. Paul and I are the polar opposite. I’m massively flappy and get the giggles really easily and we’re very silly together and that really helped when we were filming.

“Our friendship is a wonderful thing and something I’ll treasure forever. I feel so lucky to have met Paul. 

Speaking of filming Normal People together, the actress added, “Paul had never done TV before and I’d only done a few small parts here and there so for us both it was a big first experience and quite scary.

“It was a huge amount of pressure. We both loved the characters and we loved the book and wanted to do it justice.”

“We were very lucky we got on and helped each other through it all.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Normal People (@normalpeoplebbc) on

You can listen to Daisy’s full interview on How To Fail here.

Feature: Daisy Edgar-Jones

Trending

by

Scenes for the BBC Three adaptation of Irish novelist Sally Rooney's hit novel Normal People have begun filming at Trinity College Dublin.

Despite the lines of tourists queueing to visit the iconic Book of Kells (when is there not a line?), several cast and crew members were seen roaming around the famous college campus yesterday, according to the Irish Independent.

The award-winning. book was adapted for the screen by Rooney herself, with veteran director Lenny Abrahamson behind the camera.

The Oscar-nominated director behind films like Room, Frank and What Richard Did completed a Masters in theoretical physics at Trinity back in 1987, so he's familiar with the setting,

He's set to direct six episodes of the 12-part series, before Hettie McDonald takes over for the remaining six.

Filming has mainly taken place in the Robert Emmett Theatre in the Arts Block, with scenes between the protagonists, Marianne and Connell, taking place in lecture theatres.

21-year-old Cold Feet star Daisy Edgar-Jones has scored the lead role of Marianne, while 23-year-old Paul Mescal will take on the role of Connell.

The Lír Academy graduate previously garnered rave reviews for his part as Jay Gatsby in The Gate Theatre's production of The Great Gatsby, so he should be well able to handle Connell.

The series follows the characters, who move from the West of Ireland to Dublin in order to attend college, but the pair strike up an unlikely relationship.

At secondary school, Connell is the popular guy while Marianne is an isolated outsider among her peers. Despite this, they're drawn together.

Roles are completely reversed when they start college years later, with Marianne fitting in straight away with the debating crew but Connell finds himself on the outskirts.

Abrahamson has spoken out about how excited to work with the pair, saying:

"I feel I have found two young actors who vividly capture Marianne and Connell and bring alive the profound and beautiful relationship at the centre of the story."

The cast are heading to Italy in August or September after filming in Trinity is completed, before returning to Dublin to finish the shoot.

Filming also took place in County Sligo earlier in the year.

Further scenes will be shot in Trinity today and on Monday in the front square, library and on the cricket pitches. See if you can spot the cast if you're wandering around town.

Feature image: Instagram/@trinitycollegedublin

Trending

Sally Rooney's sophomore novel, Normal People, has clearly gripped the globe.

The story of Connell and Marianne's tumultuous relationship throughout their ever-changing lives has spread far and wide, and news recently broke that a screen adaptation would be created.

BBC Three and Hulu have teamed up to bring TV audiences the 12-part drama, which will see the international literary phenomenon transformed.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Element Pictures (@elementdistribution) on

Two rising star actors have now been cast as the leads, and production on the project has begun in Ireland, which s being directed by the great Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie McDonald.

Daisy Edgar-Jones will star as Marianne, and Paul Mescal will portray Connell in his first television role. We've previously seen Edgar-Jones in War Of The Worlds, so this part is a definite change for her.

Normal People tells the tale of how profoundly two people can impact each others' lives, and is a definite tearjerker. It's set to be a heart-wrenching watch, considering how thought-provoking the novel is.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Daisy Edgar-Jones (@daisyedgarjones) on

The book is astonishing in its use of dialogue to emote the mind-set of both characters as their lives gradually intertwine and grow apart, before being pulled back together again.

Filming will take place in Italy, Dublin and Sligo. Rooney spoke about the television series, saying how privileged she feels to be working alongside a director as prolific as Lenny Abrahamson.

"I couldn’t be happier with the cast and team we’ve put together, and I’m very excited to watch them bringing new life to the story on screen," she said.

Normal People is set in Dublin, and tracks the tender but complex relationship between the two characters from each of their viewpoints. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Paul Mescal (@paul.mescal) on

From a small town in the west of Ireland to their undergraduate experiences at Trinity College Dublin, you'll recognise many of the spots referred to in the novel.

The BBC refers to the story 'honest, smart and intoxicating'; "Normal People sees the pair weave in and out of each other’s lives and explores just how complicated intimacy and young love can be

Sarah Greene, Aislín McGuckin and some of the UK and Ireland's most dynamic new acting talent have also joined the cast.

Feature image: Instagram/@marinasshelf

Trending

Normal People quickly became one of the most beloved books since it was first published in 2018.

The book has kept people entertained on their long commutes to work. It has been enjoyed by readers lounging on a beach in Spain. Bookworms have gotten lost in the pages as they drank an early morning cup of coffee. Readers have kept it next to them on their nightstand and failed to go to bed on time because they were so wrapped up in the tale.

It has been sitting merrily at the top of bookshelves all around the world, especially here in Dublin, where the story itself takes place.

Image result for sally rooney

It has received heaps of love, praise and adoration from readers and critics alike from every corner of the globe so it’ll come as no surprise to hear that author Sally Rooney has won the top prize at the Britsh Book Awards.

The Irish writer’s second novel was crowned book of the year at the prestigious awards, beating former First Lady Michelle Obama’s book Becoming.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Renée // Ohio (@somekindofalibrary) on

Sally, who was unable to attend the awards, was described by the judges as a “generational talent.”

The best-selling author gushed about the honour: "It's an enormous privilege and an honour for me to receive the overall Book of the Year Award at the British Book Awards.

"I want to say thank you, specifically, because I feel I had an extraordinary lucky experience with this book.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by The Geek Foodie  (@the.geek.foodie) on

"I've received such enormous support and generosity from my own publisher, Faber & Faber, of course, and also from the bookselling community generally, from libraries and librarians, and the community of people who love books.

"It has been a really privileged experience for me, and I do feel astonishingly lucky."

Feature Image: : Richard Saker for the Observer

Trending