Trending 29th May 2020 by Denise Curtin

Paul Mescal Reveals ‘Brutal’ Normal People Scene That Had Him In Floods Of Tears

'They called cut and I was still bawling...'

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Paul Mescal (@paul.mescal) on

Normal People’s breakthrough star, Paul Mescal has recently opened up about the scene he found the most difficult to film.

The Hulu/BBC adaption of Sally Rooney’s 2018 novel sees Paul’s character, Connell go through a range of emotions from love and success to heartbreak and depression.

Speaking to Stylist Magazine, Paul discussed this span of emotion he had to portray for the show and explained that the dark scenes really got to him.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Normal People (@normalpeoplehulu) on

In one scene (and this might be a spoiler for those who haven’t finished the show), we see Connell visiting his college counsellor after his friend Rob from Sligo died by suicide.

A heavy scene which made for very difficult viewing, Paul explained that he found it incredible tough to shoot.

“Filming the scene where Connell breaks down was brutal. They called cut and I was still bawling,” he told the publication.

“I wanted desperately for Connell’s pain to feel authentic. A massive percentage of people will experience something that Connell and Marianne are experiencing in regards to their mental health.”

Getting the help of a real Trinity counsellor to help him convey the correct emotions, Paul recalled that it was all hands on board to tell the story right.

“I asked her ‘does this feel real?’ She said that it’s like a documentary in terms of how it was written. There were so many details that Sally [Rooney] got so right in terms of Connell avoiding eye contact or crying and not wiping away his tears,” he recalled.

Paul has also decided to give away the chain he wore on Normal People. Explaining that one lucky entree will nab the chain, Paul is doing it in order to raise funds for Pieta House.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Normal People (@normalpeoplebbc) on

“Pieta is a cause very close to my heart, having experienced loss due to suicide in my local town while growing up.

“Suicide and depression are themes directly linked to Normal People especially around episodes nine and 10 which is why I want to help those in similar situations,” the 24-year-old explained.

You can read more about how you can get involved in the raffle here.

Tags: