Trending 15th May 2020 by Denise Curtin

India Mullen On The Success Of Normal People And Her Love For Peggy

We obviously had to ask her about Connell's chain too!

To say Sally Rooney’s TV adaptation of Normal People is a success would be an understatement. The drama series which debuted last month has been dubbed a “modern masterpiece” for how it deals with romance in those ‘defining years’ and the complexities of love which are seldom represented onscreen.

In just 12 episodes, the story has captured the hearts of millions around the globe with BBC Three breaking record ratings on the iPlayer, and Irish fans tuning into RTÉ religiously every Tuesday night to watch another part of the story unfold.

This kind of recognition and success is something that the cast and crew are still coming to terms with as India Mullen, who plays Peggy in the hit series told us at STELLAR.  

 

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“It’s been amazing – strange to be in lockdown and living this sort of virtual reality, but I feel so proud. I got to work with such a talented bunch and I’ve always been such a huge fan of the book and of Sally [Rooney].”

Standing beside Daisy Edgar-Jones who plays the lead, Marianne, India’s potrayal of her best friend Peggy, is one that caught the attention of viewers from her first appearance onscreen.

Speaking about taking on the role of Peggy, India revealed that similar to many characters in the show, it’s Peggy’s “vulnerability” that attracted her in.

“She’s flamboyant” explained India. “It’s college and I think there’s an element of everyone trying on who they are and that’s what I love about Peggy, her insecurity comes across lovely.”

And it looks like the cast of Normal People are just as close off-screen as they are when the cameras are rolling, as India revealed that the cast speak every week if not daily.

Constantly sharing throwbacks to filming, India, who is also an incredible photographer posted a series of BTS images to her Instagram a few weeks ago, explaining how she’s “madly grateful” to have met friends for life. After sharing the selection of images, Paul Mescal who plays lead Connell in the show added that he “wasn’t OK” after reading her moving post.

 

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And although we felt we could have chatted to India about Normal People all day, there was one pressing question we really needed the answer to; did she notice the power that Connell’s chain possessed when filming? “I can’t say I ever thought about it,” India laughed. Explaining that she thinks the fan pages for “Connell’s chain” and “Marianne’s bangs” are “so funny”, the 23-year-old added that it was Lorna Marie Mugan, the costume designer behind Normal People that helped bring these notable elements to life and so, gave her credit for her incredible work – hat tip to Lorna.

And while India is basking in the success of the show, with stars like James Cordon, Kourtney Kardashian and Maddie Ziegler all singing their praise for the series, her major pinch me moment hasn’t changed since the day she got the job. “The reactions to the show are just the cherry on the cake. Meeting all these people I admire so much and actually getting the job, that’s my pinch me moment. I mean, there’s been so many but that’s definitely the big one,” she concluded.

 

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Sally Rooney fans will also be thrilled to hear that another one of her novels, Conversations With Friends, is set to be brought to life with a 12 part series, similar to Normal People. With the same directors and producers back on board, it will certainly be something to look forward to once the cameras start rolling again.

Until then, however, you’ll find us with Normal People on repeat. You can read more about that here.

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