'I DIDN'T FIND THE SEX SCENES AWKWARD AT ALL'

PAUL MESCAL OPENS UP TO OK! ABOUT STRIPPING OFF FOR NORMAL PEOPLE HOW HE’S OCCUPYING HIS DAYS IN LOCKDOWN AND THE SURPRISING STAR SHE’D LIKE TO DUET WITH

- ALAN TANNER

The nation fell in love with Paul Mescal when he shot to stardom as hunky Irishman Connell in the binge-worthy BBC drama Normal People.

The miniseries was a global success and had actors including James Corden and Jodie Comer blown away by the performances from Paul, 24, and his co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones, 22, who played Marianne.

We witnessed some particularly racy sex scenes between the pair as we followed their characters’ on/off love story, which was certainly a welcome distraction from the gloom of the pandemic. The chemistry between the pair was, quite frankly, off the scale, which led to fans speculating they were dating. He was also linked to another co-star, India Mullen, but Paul recently revealed he’s been in a secret relationship with a mystery girl. During our chat, he keeps his cards close to his chest, but does say, “To have someone to lean on through such a mad, mad time has been invaluable.”

He adds, “Really, I don’t know where I’d be without her.”

Here, Paul talks about surviving lockdown, the stars he’d love to collaborate with next, and that Argos chain we all went crazy over...

How has lockdown been for you?

I’ve struggled with the absence of work. A vast period of the day which would’ve been occupied is now totally unoccupied. My life is a lot of Zoom calls and lots of running. I’ve been trying to get as much serotonin as I can. Serotonin is a wonderful thing.

The last year has been quite a success for you. How did your parents react when you told them you wanted to be an actor?