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FAR FROM NORMAL

How Normal People star Paul Mescal went from sausage advert to being tipped to be next James Bond

FANS cannot get enough of steamy new drama Normal People – and especially its hunky leading man.

Previously best known for starring in sausage adverts, actor Paul Mescal is sending pulses racing and is even being tipped as the next James Bond.

 Actor Paul Mescal, best known for his role as Connell in BBC series Normal People, is tipped to be the next James Bond
Actor Paul Mescal, best known for his role as Connell in BBC series Normal People, is tipped to be the next James Bond

Paul, 24, stars as Connell Waldron in the BBC series, which has become the surprise hit of lockdown, topping Killing Eve with a record-breaking 16million streams on iPlayer.

The rollercoaster story, adapted from Sally Rooney’s best-selling 2018 novel of the same name, follows the lives of young lovers in Ireland — and is filled with raw emotion, nudity and intense sex scenes.

Paul, from County Kildare near Dublin, says: “We worked hard to make it feel like it was a real, accurate and truthful representation of sex amongst young people.

“It’s something I’m incredibly proud of. I wouldn’t like to have done the show without nudity in it because the book is so visceral and raw, and when I read the book the characters are clearly naked in my head.

 The steamy drama has sent fans wild with a record-breaking 16 million streaming the show
The steamy drama has sent fans wild with a record-breaking 16 million streaming the show

“Do I have to get naked? Yeah, absolutely fine. Do I want screenshots all over the internet? Probably not, but that’s ultimately something I can’t control.”

And, of course, the internet is quick to oblige, with fans gushing over the actor.

Even his silver neck chain — which often ends up the only thing he is wearing — has its own Instagram account created by admirers.

Fan Charlotte Williams tweeted: “On a scale of 1-10, how badly do you want to be the chain around Paul Mescal’s neck? I’m 11.”

 Before the series, Paul’s most high-profile TV gig was an advert for Denny’s pork sausages
Before the series, Paul’s most high-profile TV gig was an advert for Denny’s pork sausagesCredit: YouTube

Cecilia Sargent added: “I’ve just been told about a new sexuality called Mescalsexual — attracted to Paul Mescal.”

And Ruby commented: “Paul Mescal, if you are reading this, I’m free literally every day after quarantine and would like to hang out, please let me know.”

Even comedian and host James Corden has chimed in about the series, tweeting:  “I honestly think it may have changed my life. It’s the best show I’ve watched in so long.”

That led to Paul responding: “WTF is happening?”

 Mescal appeared in stage shows throughout his youth, starring as Inspector Javert in Les Mis
Mescal appeared in stage shows throughout his youth, starring as Inspector Javert in Les MisCredit: YouTube

To help make the sex scenes as real as possible, producers called in intimacy co-ordinator Ita O’Brien.

She has previously worked on Netflix’s Sex Education, starring Gillian Anderson, and BBC1’s Gentleman Jack, which saw Suranne Jones and Sophie Rundle play lesbian lovers.

Paul was so pleased with the results he sat down with his family to watch the whole drama, including the sauciest moments.

He said: “It is an odd experience when you say, ‘OK, in episode two there is a big, old sex scene’.

 Paul's buff physique and piercing blue eyes have proven a hit with viewers
Paul's buff physique and piercing blue eyes have proven a hit with viewersCredit: Instagram

“They were amazing about it because they were in a position where they knew it was going to be required from day one, so they knew they were going to have to sit and watch it.”

Viewers have hailed Paul’s sensational performance as popular young Connell who falls for geeky Marianne Sheridan, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, 21.

Their on-off romance has struck a chord with viewers, reminding many of their first loves — with extra raunchiness thrown in. From the first episode of the 12-part series, we see Marianne wanting Connell to take her virginity.

And after we witness their first time together — along with a beachside bonk in the back of his car — Marianne admits to having had wild fantasies when she saw him race around the football pitch in his shorts.

 Mescal comes from County Kildare near Dublin and played Gaelic Football just like his character
Mescal comes from County Kildare near Dublin and played Gaelic Football just like his characterCredit: Sportsfile - Getty

She tells him: “I was watching you play and, honestly, you looked so beautiful. I just kept thinking how much I wanted to watch you have sex.

“I mean, not even with me, with anybody. How good it would feel. Is that really weird?”

In a later scene, a friend suggests a threesome. Connell is shocked but Marianne gives it serious thought.

She says: “I’d have done it if you’d wanted to. Had you wanted to, I’d have enjoyed you wanting to.

 Daisy Edgar-Jones stars alongside Paul in the drama as Marianne
Daisy Edgar-Jones stars alongside Paul in the drama as MarianneCredit: BBC

“I like doing things for you. I like making you happy.” Marianne is the daughter of middle-class solicitor Denise in the largely working-class town of Carricklea, in north west Ireland.

Her large house is cleaned by Connell’s mum Lorraine, who had him when she was a teenager.

Commenting on the lead characters’ relationship, actress Daisy says: “They speak to each other in a way that they can’t speak to anyone else, and it’s rare to find those people.

“They also really fancy each other which is probably a key reason.”

 In the sausage advert Paul plays an Irish teenager inspired to travel the world after eating one of their bangers
In the sausage advert Paul plays an Irish teenager inspired to travel the world after eating one of their bangersCredit: YouTube

After keeping their affair secret at school and eventually breaking up, they both end up at Trinity College, Dublin — where the highly sexual relationship starts all over again.

Later episodes feature a string of full-frontal nudity scenes of both Paul, in what is his first major TV role, and Daisy, who has had small parts in shows Cold Feet and Outnumbered.

Up to now, Paul’s most high-profile TV gig was an advert for Denny’s pork sausages, where he plays an Irish teenager inspired to travel the world after eating one of their bangers.

He has also appeared in stage shows throughout his youth, including Les Mis as Inspector Javert, and pursued his other love of gaelic football — though the two do not sit easily together.

 Actress Sarah Greene stars as Connell's mother Lorraine in Normal People
Actress Sarah Greene stars as Connell's mother Lorraine in Normal PeopleCredit: BBC

Paul explains: “I went to catch the ball once and I got a forearm across the jaw. I had to rehearse on the Monday with my jaw shut and I had to tell everyone in college that I had been working in Maxol petrol station and that I had been mugged behind the till. My deep, dark secret was that I was playing football.”

Like Connell, Paul also studied at Trinity College — but they share a darker similarity, too. In the TV series, which is being shown weekly on BBC1 as well as in full on the iPlayer, Connell has to deal with the suicide of a school friend.

It is a tragedy that Paul is all too familiar with. He says: “Three people killed themselves at my school. So it’s not fiction to me, it’s real and I was really nervous portraying it.

“I wasn’t equipped to cope with that level of devastation.

 The 12-part series was adapted from Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel of 2018
The 12-part series was adapted from Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel of 2018Credit: WARNING: Use of this image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture

“The distinct feeling I remember having at the time is that I didn’t know how to perform sadness in the way I saw other people around me being sad. I was nervous people didn’t think I was sad enough.

“I found the whole thing incredibly confusing and, in hindsight, formative. My innocence was ripped away very quickly.”

He also had an intense relationship in secondary school, similar to the one Connell has with Marianne.

He says:  “I remember that feeling in my body when I was sitting in class and my brain was constantly in tune with this other person.

 Connell's silver chain has even got its own Instagram created by fans of the show
Connell's silver chain has even got its own Instagram created by fans of the showCredit: BBC

“And although I wasn’t hiding the relationship like he does, I remember worrying, ‘What would my friends think if we held hands in the corridor?’.”

Another thing they have in common is their rugged good looks, which he found out when he met the author before filming.

He says: “Sally Rooney said that I looked like how she had imagined when she was writing it four or five years ago. When she kind of gave me her blessing, that was a major weight off my shoulders.”

But as his star continues to soar, Paul is going to have to get used to a whole lot more weight upon those muscly shoulders.

  • Normal People is on BBC1 on Mondays at 9pm. All episodes available now on BBC iPlayer.
Normal People's Connell breaks down as he discusses friend's suicide during counselling session


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