Daisy Edgar-Jones: We need to live in a world that’s welcoming and inclusive

Daisy Edgar-Jones is urging people to be “more welcoming and inclusive” towards refugees as it was reported more than 4000 migrants have reached UK shores in small boats.

The 22-year-old, who shot to fame earlier this year after playing Marianne in BBC Three hit Normal People, is now an ambassador for Compass Collective - a not-for-profit organisation that connects young refugees and asylum seekers with the wider community through theatre.

And the actor is now hoping to use her recently-found platform to spread awareness and positivity.

“I wanted to help in any way I could,” Edgar-Jones said in a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar. “If you have a platform, you should use it to amplify other voices that need to be heard. I’m really keen to bring activism into life, further than social media.

“We need to live in a world that’s welcoming and inclusive. I just feel desperately sad about someone who has come over to the UK out of necessity and has been greeted with hostility.

“People must stop being fearful of refugees, they do amazing things for us and our country.”

Normal People has made Edgar-Jones an instant star and she recently became one of the 25 women included in British Vogue‘s annual Power List.

The publication explains that the list is about highlighting “the women of the moment who are leading us through 2020 with prescience, power and poise”, and highlighted how her infamous choppy fringe was “the new Rachel cut” of lockdown.

However, Edgar-Jones has also revealed that the fringe only seemed to come about by pure coincidence.

“I got the fringe as a sort of break-up haircut after I came really close to a job and didn’t get it,” she told Harper's Bazaar. “The next week I had another audition for [the television series] War of the Worlds and got the part. I can act better with a fringe, it’s my secret power!”

Normal People has become a worldwide phenomenon, with over 28 million requests on BBC iPlayer and counting.

The 12-part drama chronicled the ups and downs of the romance between teenagers Connell (Paul Mescal) and Marianne (Edgar Jones) as they went to university.

While both the leads have received universal praise for their sensitive portrayals, Edgar-Jones felt she was suffering from imposter syndrome when she first landed the hotly sought-after role.

“It was bloody terrifying,” she explained. “When I got the part, I was very excited. Then I had the fear settle in, the imposter syndrome of thinking, have they actually got it wrong?

“I learnt a lot during filming about being more confident in my voice and not feeling like I have to quieten it.

“I’m really proud of [Normal People]. It’s so raw and honest. We’re not just seeing a glossy, honeymoon portrayal of love, we’re seeing the rust of life. It’s the truth of growing up.”

The September issue of Harper’s Bazaar is on sale from Thursday August 13

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