Daisy Edgar-Jones reveals what it was like to become a star during lockdown

Daisy Edgar-Jones is still in shock over starring in the year’s must-see TV hit. Normal People brought the chart-topping novel by Sally Rooney to the small screen at the height of lockdown and told the intimate story of lovestruck students Marianne and Connell. 

The show gave us all something to invest in during those fraught, early days of the pandemic, but speaking exclusively to the Big Issue, Edgar-Jones revealed the impact took her and co-star Paul Mescal by surprise. 

“We knew it was a great story with a brilliant team making it, and of course the book was a huge hit already, but there was something extra that seemed to happen through being in lockdown when the show was released,” she said. 

“I think it was a heightened experience for many people – whether that was about being connected when we had to be apart or about nostalgia for first love, it felt like it touched people on a deep emotional level.” 

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— Daisy Edgar-Jones (@DaisyEdgarJones) May 20, 2020

Edgar-Jones spoke out about becoming an overnight celebrity during the lockdown and said it was hard to get her head around. 

“To be honest, it was something that was very difficult to register at the time, the whole experience felt like a strange dream as the world was already topsy-turvy and the show coming out just added to the strangeness.” 

She added she wouldn’t forget the 2020 or the “surreal” release of the programme any time soon. 

Edgar-Jones said while many doors had been opened for her, there was one thing she hoped she could do next year. Like many of us, the actress wants to see her grandparents and give them a hug. 

Read more from Edgar-Jones on lockdown, starring in Normal People and what else she is mot looking forward to in this week’s Big Issue, available through our online shop and from your local vendor now.