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Normal People’s Paul Mescal Says He 'Didn't Sleep' The Night Before Filming His First Sex Scene
5 May 2020, 13:54
Paul Mescal plays Connell in the TV adaption of Sally Rooney’s novel, ‘Normal People’.
Paul Mescal has admitted he didn’t sleep the night before filming his first sex scene for Normal People.
The Irish actor, who stars alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones, said the thought of being ‘fully nude’ on camera made him ‘slightly nervous’.
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Paul made the comments during a recent interview with MR PORTER.
He said: “On the first Friday of the first week, we had a full day of sex scenes.
“It's fair to say we were both incredibly nervous. That Thursday, I didn't sleep.”
He added: “I’m not concerned about it because I made a choice that this project is something that I'm proud of. Well, on paper, that makes sense.”
He also revealed the two young actors had intimacy director, Ita O’Brien, with them on set, who previously worked on Netflix’s Sex Education.
Talking about how the scenes were tackled, he said: “We would discuss the scene and then Ita would block what we had discussed, so it wasn't mine or Daisy's responsibility to decide what was appropriate… you're told what to do. It's freeing!”
The show has been praised for its ‘honest, ‘consensual,’ and 'important' sex scenes, with one viewer writing on Twitter: "That first sex scene in #NormalPeople, is so poignant. So full of respect, tenderness and mutual trust. And fun."
Another added: "The sex scene in Normal People is honestly one of the best representations of first time sex I’ve seen, it’s so authentic and brilliant AND IMPORTANT with portraying consent!
"It shows it doesn’t ruin the mood and actually, makes people feel more safe and then they enjoy it more!"
Normal People is available to watch now on BBC Iplayer.
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