Yahoo News Normal People star Paul Mescal responds to Daisy Edgar-Jones' Emmy snub
Normal People's Paul Mescal has reacted to his co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones not being nominated for an Emmy, despite him receiving a nod.
The smash-hit BBC and Hulu limited series received four Primetime Emmy nominations on Tuesday, including one for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Mescal and another for Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special for the show's executive producer and director Lenny Abrahamson.
But both have shared that although they were delighted by the nominations success of the show, which follows the turbulent love story of Connell (Mescal) and Marianne (Edgar-Jones), they were disappointed that the drama's female lead missed out.
Related: Normal People season 2 "not on the cards", admits star Paul Mescal
Speaking to Deadline, Mescal revealed that Edgar-Jones was one of the first people he called when he found out about his nod, saying that she was "just so excited" for all the show's nominees and crediting her with improving his own performance.
"I'm the biggest fan of her as an actor," he said. "I just would not for a second have been able to do anything that I did without her. It wouldn't have happened."
Abrahamson added that he had also been hoping the actress would be recognised but acknowledged the "particularly hard" Lead Actress in a Limited Series category.
"I was so delighted about Paul, but obviously I was so hoping Daisy would get a nomination as well," he said. "The thing as well is that her category this year was particularly hard. There were so many amazing people there (Kerry Washington, Cate Blanchett, Octavia Spencer, Shira Haas and Regina King all secured nominations).
A post shared by Daisy Edgar-Jones (@daisyedgarjones) on Jul 28, 2020 at 4:32pm PDT
"It was just so hard, but I think the whole show is about those two, so everybody's recognition reflects on the two of them as the central engine of the whole story."
The director, who will soon be adapting another Sally Rooney novel Conversations with Friends, was also full of praise for Mescal, whose role in Normal People was his first ever TV acting job.
"It's his debut and it's an incredible end to an incredible story," he said. "For him to be cast, having not been on any drama, and then against so many people with such reputations and such recognition, and yet to make it through to be one of those five [nominees] is just staggering and it speaks to his talent."
Mescal is up against Jeremy Irons, Hugh Jackman, Jeremy Pope and Mark Ruffalo for Emmy recognition.
This year's Emmy Award winners will be announced at a ceremony on September 20.
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