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Normal People's Marianne: Who is Daisy Edgar-Jones in real life?

Everything you need to know about Daisy Edgar-Jones…

daisy edgar jones facts
Leanne Bayley
Director of Lifestyle & Commerce
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BBC3's Normal People is the talk of the town, there's no doubt about that. The TV adaptation of Sally Rooney's bestselling book of the same name is directed by Irish director Lenny Abrahamson and the 12-part series follows the two main characters Marianne and Connell Waldron (played by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal) as they navigate life as two teenagers growing up. After binge-watching all 12 episodes, we were keen to know more about leading actress Daisy and what she's like in real life. Shock: She's not Irish… 

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Marianne and Connell during a Normal People scene

Who is Daisy Edgar-Jones?

Daisy is a 22-year-old actress who has catapulted to fame thanks to her role as Marianne in Normal People.

MORE: A full list of who's in the cast of Normal People

What has Daisy Edgar-Jones been in before? 

Prior to Normal People, when she was 17, she appeared in the Christmas Special of the hit comedy series Outnumbered on BBC One. She also held supporting roles in the serialised War of the Worlds, and she also starred as Olivia Marsden in the Cold Feet reboot. She also had a recurring role as Delia Rawson in 2019's BBC series Gentleman Jack.

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Daisy on the set of Cold Feet

Is Daisy Edgar-Jones Irish?

No! She's not. She was born in London and grew up in Muswell Hill. And yes, we were surprised, too! In a recent interview with InStyle, she said: "I had a brilliant accent coach who helped. Also, Lenny [the director] had a very, very specific idea of her voice, because Ireland is amazing — there are so many different accents, and it was really important to get the nuance right."

She continued: "I think when you're a young person, you start to speak like your peers. But obviously, Marianne doesn't have very many friends at school, so it's kind of good that she has a slightly more upper-class, sort of posh way of speaking that's maybe a little bit alienating for her peers."

Daisy's mum helped! Speaking at a BAFTA Q&A, she explained: "The accent was really important to me as well. I am lucky that my mum is from the north of Ireland so that helped. It is kind of like singing and I have been over to Ireland loads of time as a child so I had an understanding of the 'r' sound and the specifics of the accent and sensibilities." 

MORE: 30 TV shows to get excited about in 2020

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Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal during a press call for Normal People

Where does Daisy Edgar-Jones live?

She lives in a London flatshare with three other people. During self-isolation, they had spa sessions, pizza nights, games, and they all watched Normal People with celebratory bubbles.

SEE MORE: Inside Daisy Edgar-Jones' real-life home in London

Does Daisy Edgar-Jones have Instagram?

Yes, and she's a fan! She currently has 668k followers, but as the success of the TV adaptation soars, so will her social followers. Follow her on Instagram @daisyedgarjones

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Daisy shared a first-look at Normal People on Instagram

Marianne's wardrobe in Normal People - is Daisy as cool in real life? 

Definitely! The young star has hit the front row during fashion week, but we've yet to find out which designer will sign her up as an ambassador. It's only a matter of time… 

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Daisy at a Vanity Fair party

On the subject of Marianne's outfits, Daisy said: "Oh, man, she's so cool. I really love Lorna [Marie Mugan], who was the costume designer, because I couldn't really picture how Marianne would dress, particularly in Sligo, in the earlier [episodes]. There isn't much description of costume other than like heavy, clunky shoes, and a corduroy skirt. I think when she was in her more confident era, outfit-wise, it was so fun. I particularly liked the outfit where they reunite for the first time in Trinity. You can't really see it in the scene, but I have these pantaloons on, these kind of silk culottes with this vintage sort of jacket. The costumes were so fun to wear."

RELATED: Loved Marianne's Normal People outfits? You're not alone

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Marianne at university in Normal People

Marianne's fringe in Normal People - does Daisy Edgar-Jones have a fringe IRL? 

She does, but a long one. When asked if she'd ever have an edgy short fringe, she said: "I'm not edgy enough at all. You have to be edgy and cool, and I'm just not. So I think I'm going to stick with the bangs that mostly cover your whole face. Those are the kind I like the most. Though they're very hard to maintain in isolation. Having a fringe is like having a small child. You have to constantly maintain it and make sure it's happy, or else it sticks up."

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Marianne's long hair while at school in Normal People

RELATED: Marianne's fringe has its own Instagram account - plus how cut your own bangs like Marianne's

Does Daisy Edgar-Jones front an ad campaign yet?

Not quite! But she has filmed an advert for Hourglass Cosmetics. She shared a video of herself doing her makeup on IGTV. The products? All Hourglass. She stripped off all her makeup and pulled her fringe back to show off her impressive makeup skills. 

WATCH: Daisy-Edgar Jones goes totally barefaced for an incredible makeup tutorial

Was Daisy Edgar-Jones nervous about meeting Sally Rooney?

On Elizabeth Day's How to Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast, she said she was terrified about meeting the author. "I met Sally for the first time at the massive read-through we did before we started filming. It was a terrifying day because you've been cast, but a massive part of your brain is like 'oh god, what if they realise they made a mistake?!' Sally came over and she was so lovely and she seemed really excited and kind of overwhelmed as well because it must have been crazy for her." 

She added: "She gave us the freedom to interpret it the way we did and she's amazing ... she came to set a few times but on the whole, she was in New York working on her next novel."

Did Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal get on? 

She told Elizabeth Day: "Paul and I's relationship is the polar opposite of Marianne and Connell's. They are quite serious - they do have a laugh together, but on the whole, they're quite deep and they speak about quite big subjects and they're quite soft. And then Paul and I are polar opposites - I'm massively flappy and get the giggles very easily and we're very silly together."

She added: "Our friendship is a wonderful thing and it's something I'll treasure forever. I feel so lucky to have met Paul."

Who is Daisy Edgar-Jones dating and does she have a boyfriend? 

Daisy is dating 29-year-old actor Tom Varey - who has starred in TV series Game Of Thrones and No Offence - and who she met on the set of film Pond Life.

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It's a wrap! Daisy shared this cute photo from the wrap party of Normal People

The Normal People sex scenes are very full-on. How did Daisy feel doing them?

In an interview with Grazia, she said: "Normal People wasn’t my first sex scene, I’d done a very PC one before and it was a very small scene, so I had an idea but not at the level to which we did things on Normal People. Luckily I got on really well with Paul [Mescal, who plays Connell Waldron] so it was fine; if anything it was funny because you have to laugh or you’d cry and they are so ridiculous."

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Daisy on the front row of the Roland Mouret show

What did Daisy Edgar-Jones find awkward? 

After a fan tweeted about the on-screen lovers' first kiss in the series, Daisy replied with a laughing emoji, writing: "This scene was my first audition scene and I had to awkwardly snog mid-air during my self-tape."

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Marianne hosting a dinner party on Normal People

One thing that might surprise you about Daisy Edgar-Jones

She was the last person to be cast in the series, which she revealed in this interview for the BBC: 

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She's also a big Gogglebox fan! She told Grazia: "I love Gogglebox. I don’t know what I’d do if they were watching Normal People, especially if it’s any of the rude bits."

Is Daisy Edgar-Jones popular in America? 

It certainly looks like it. Late Late Show host James Corden brought Daisy and Paul onto his show (virtually) to take part in a hilarious video. Watch below... 

Live Chemistry Test w/ Daisy Edgar-Jones & Paul Mescal

Read Normal People on paperback, available on Amazon. Watch Normal People on BBC Player, available now.

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