A previously-unseen video shows Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal reciting their lines as Normal People’s Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron, respectively, in a casting session that took place back in March 2019.
The clip, which has been shared on the Normal People Twitter account, features the actors reading a scene from the second episode of the acclaimed TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel of the same name. Written by Rooney and Alice Birch – and directed by Lenny Abrahamson in the actual series – the scene itself sees Connell and Marianne discuss their relationship and insecurities, set in the so-called Ghost House.
Unsurprisingly, the new video proves that the pair’s unmatched chemistry was there from the beginning (and presumably helped get them through Normal People’s multiple sex scenes, which felt intimate and authentic in the show itself, but were apparently “quite unsexy” to film). “Watching this clip again, I’m struck by how much of what sang in the finished scenes is there already,” Abrahamson tells Vogue. “Daisy and Paul were so clearly right from the very beginning of the journey.”
“It’s very strange watching this back,” adds Edgar-Jones. “The day was a complete blur for me as I was so full of nerves. I couldn’t really remember what happened in the room, so it’s really interesting to see that the dynamic between the characters was there so early on despite my terror. It’s also funny to see Paul and I when we didn’t know each other as we’re now such close friends.”
Watch the full audition tape below.