English actress Daisy Edgar-Jones and Irish actor Paul Mescal are a hot topic in pop culture, specifically in the literary, music, and film crowds. Regardless of how involved they are (or aren’t) in each other’s lives, it seems that their relationship is always in the public eye, and the pair isn’t doing much to help their case. They discuss each other in interviews and are always seen spending time together, so much so that the internet has begun to call them “Normal People IRL.” So, the question is…what is really going on with these two actors?
The two met on their 2020 project, the limited series adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People (2018), a novel that follows two young people, Connell and Marianne, as they fall in and out of love through the ups and downs of their young adult lives. If you ever want to understand what a situationship is, Normal People is a prime example.
Edgar-Jones admitted during a live conversation in Cork, Ireland, at the 2024 Fastnet Film Festival that she fell in love with Rooney’s story, and with Mescal, quickly clarifying that she meant as a friend…heads were turning nonetheless. Mescal also mentioned in a 2020 interview that after the chemistry read with Edgar-Jones, he “knew instantly” that she would get the part of Marianne due to how emotional the shared performance was. Their on-screen chemistry is undeniable, and the screen adaptation of Normal People would not have been the success it was without the pair’s astonishing acting skills. The two were the best of friends, but their behavior suggested more. Between comments of praise back and forth, explanations of a Normal People watch party, and dressing up as Fleabag for Halloween, the internet certainly had its hands full with the pair.
Fast forward to 2022, and our story gets complicated. You may recognize the image taken at the Met Gala. To put it in context, Paul Mescal and musician Phoebe Bridgers had been dating for two years, hinted at through flirty Twitter interactions, public spottings, and a red carpet debut in late 2021. Reports even circulated of the couple’s engagement, though neither has confirmed if they ever really were. In the iconic photo, we see Edgar-Jones in the foreground, and Mescal and Bridgers in the background. While Edgar-Jones has her photo taken, we see Mescal’s gaze fall on her, while Bridgers smiles directly at him. The image was released after the gala, and it is still recognizable (and memeable) today. Edgar-Jones even explained the iconic photo, “considering the innocence behind it,” saying, “he’s my pal, so he’s probably just going, ‘Hey, there she is.’”
It even goes as far as this notorious video, also from the gala, where the three are spotted together. has his hands around Edgar-Jones and Bridgers, but when he waves at the camera, he keeps his arm around Edgar-Jones and uses the arm that was around Bridgers, sparking substantial online discourse. Of course, this could mean nothing…but fans around the world had their theories and ideas.
Since Mescal and Bridgers have split, she seems to be going steady with comedic musician Bo Burnham. In the meantime, however, Edgar-Jones and Mescal continued to make comments of admiration and adoration of each other in interviews. Specifically, in the summer of 2024, Edgar-Jones and Mescal were both on press tours for their respective films, Twisters and Gladiator II. In discussing Edgar-Jones’ “diligent professionalism’ as she took to new heights after Normal People, Mescal says, “She’s just extraordinary.” He’s also been known to bring her up in completely irrelevant moments…interesting. Edgar-Jones shares similar feelings, referring to Mescal as her “lifelong friend.” Friends. There it is, and there it was, and there it will likely continue to be, but the internet has sat with the question: Is this really how friends act?
Moving on to the summer of 2024, Mescal was spotted in London with musician Gracie Abrams. Since then, the two have been an incredibly public couple, posting each other on their socials, talking about one another in interviews, and even collaborating on a track on Abrams’ newest album “Daughter From Hell,” released in July of this year. But we aren’t talking about Abrams (as much as I’d like to), are we? In the summer of 2025, Abrams and Mescal hard-launched their relationship at the Glastonbury festival, where Abrams was performing. A video was released of Mescal and Edgar-Jones enjoying her set together, and fans lost their minds.
The latest developments of the two are as follows. Abrams posted a photo on Instagram, presumably in Mescal’s home, where a framed photo of Mescal and Edgar-Jones can be spotted in the background. The photo of the two projects an almost intimate vibe, but could still be read as friends.
Edgar-Jones, currently on a press tour for the new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, where she stars as Elinor Dashwood, was tasked with assigning some of her male co-stars as Jane Austen characters. Without missing a beat, she says, “I think Paul would give a great Darcy.” If you know anything about Mr. Darcy and Pride and Prejudice, you know that Mr. Darcy invented male yearning. Though this could be just another moment of adoration of Mescal’s incredibly sad-yearning-boy acting skills, this reads as much more to the literary girls (me).
Sigh. As for my thoughts, I’m not sure what to make of this pair. They read as a couple in their behavior, but time and time again, they refer to each other as their best friend…All I have to say…do they know it’s legal?