Normal People's Paul and Daisy have raised £3K for a mental health charity
All by playing Mario Kart!
Last updated 7th Aug 2020
Fans of BBC drama Normal People have become slightly obsessed with all things Paul Mescal (Connell) and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Marianne), since the series landed last month, so it's great to see the budding actors giving back.
Despite the current lockdown situation, both Paul and Daisy have appeared on a number of chat shows via video chat, including The Graham Norton Show in the UK, and The Late Late Show in the US.
Following on from their TV appearances, Paul and Daisy decided to take part in a charity game of Mario Kart, in which they went on to raise £3,000 for mental health organisation MIND.
The pair played the popular game on Instagram Live, with Paul going on to win three out of the four rounds against his unimpressed co-star.
After witnessing the charity game, fans of the pair were quick to take to Twitter, expressing their love for both Paul and Daisy.
One fan wrote, 'i’m so in love with paul and daisy please i could watch them play mario kart all day', with another adding, 'Currently watching Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones play Mario Kart against each other and honestly I've never felt this happy before.' (sic)
Another added, 'Paul and Daisy are going to be playing Mario Kart today and if that’s not the most random and wholesome thing ever I don’t know what else could beat this.' (sic)
Meet the Normal People cast and follow them on social media below:
Daisy Edgar-Jones as Marianne Sheridan
Daisy portrays Marianne Sheridan in Normal People.
You can follow her on Instagram: daisyedgarjones
You can follow her on Twitter: DaisyEdgarJones
Privileged but lonely, Connell was Marianne's only friend in high school- however, he was embarrassed about their connection and so she was totally alone throughout her time in school. Connell's embarrassment affected Marianne throughout her young adult years, but thankfully the couple were able to put it behind them and find each other once again.
Daisy is actually from Islington in London, despite her incredible accent, but her mother Wendy is Northern-Irish - so she has some experience in that area! Daisy appeared in the 2016 Outnumbered Christmas Special, and at 17 starred alongside James Nesbitt in Cold Feet for four years. She had a role in Silent Witness in 2018, and starred in Gentleman Jack alongside Suranne Jones in 2019. Daisy also started out in a Fox adaptation of War of the Worlds in 2019, with a second series on the way.
Paul Mescal as Connell Waldron
Paul stars as Connell Waldron in Normal People.
You can follow him on Twitter: mescal_paul
Unfortunately, Paul has now deleted his Instagram account.
Coming from a rather less moneyed background than Marianne, Connell is well-liked at school and is embarrassed of being associated with Marianne - who is not. Thankfully, they're able to put their differences aside to focus on the incredible, intense relationship they share.
Paul is from Maynooth in County Kildare, and is a relative newcomer to the acting sphere. Best known in Ireland as the face of Denny sausages, Paul played Under 21 football for Kildare, but quit after a jaw injury. He's set to star as Matt in comedy series Bump, and Normal People is his breakthrough role. He's also performed in plenty of stage shows in Dublin and London, such as The Great Gatsby, The Red Shoes and A Midsummer Night's Dream to name but a few.
Sarah Greene as Lorraine Waldron
Sarah Greene stars in Normal People as Lorraine Waldron.
You can follow her on Instagram: mssarahgreene
Lorraine is Connell's mum who is a cleaner for the Sheridan family and provides some maternal comfort for Marianne, whose mother is cold and unyielding. Lorraine chastises Connell for his treatment of Marianne in school and encourages their relationship in later years.
Cork-born Sarah is best known for her role on 2019's Dublin Murders as Cassie Maddox, and has also starred in series Ransom and Rebellion, as well as a recurring role in Penny Dreadful as Hecate Poole. Her film credits include Rosie, Black 47, Dublin Oldschool and Noble, among other things.
Aislín McGuckin as Denise Sheridan
Aislín McGuckin portrays Marianne's mother Denise Sheridan.
You can follow her on Twitter: mcguckin_aislin
Denise lost her husband years before we meet the characters in the show, and is shown to be totally cold and unaffectionate towards Marianne. We later learn that Marianne's brother Alan is controlling and abusive towards his sister and mother, and Denise is trapped by him.
Aislín is from Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, and is possibly best known for her role as Dr. Liz Merrick in Heartbeat or Outlander as Letitia MacKenzie. She has also starred in Holby City, New Tricks, The Hollow Crown and The Miniaturist.
India Mullen as Peggy
India Mullen plays Marianne's good friend Peggy.
You can follow her on Instagram: indiamullen
Peggy is shown to be very confident, gregarious and outspoken - but not hugely supportive.
As well as Normal People, India has also starred in TV series Into The Badlands alongside Nick Frost, the 2017 TV adaptation of Little Women with Maya Hawke, Vikings and Red Rock as Katie Kiely.
Eliot Salt as Joanna
Eliot Salt plays Marianne's other good friend Joanna.
You can follow her on Instagram: eliotsalt
You can follow her on Twitter: eliotsalt
Thankfully, Marianne was able to get emotional support from her friend Joanna, played by Eliot Salt - the pair even joked that they were like an old married couple in the penultimate episode.
Eliot is best known for her role in David Schwimmer's series Intelligence, and also starred in 2019 series GameFace and Fate: The Winx Saga as Terra.
Fionn O'Shea as Jamie
Finn O'Shea portrays the series' sort-of villain, Jamie.
You can follow him on Instagram: fionnos
You can follow him on Twitter: FionnOS
After meeting Marianne at college, Jamie is shown to have feelings for her whilst she and Connell are dating. Following the confusion over whether Connell and Marianne had broken up, Marianne and Jamie dated for a while - however, they're shown to have a rather unhappy relationship as Jamie is controlling and sexually aggressive with Marianne.
Finn starred in TV series Roy as Jack and the huge 2018 ITV drama Innocent. He also had a role in Hang Ups, and has several upcoming projects including Cherry with Tom Holland and Netflix film The Letter for the King with Omid Djalili and Killing Eve's Kim Bodnia.
Desmond Eastwood as Niall
Desmond Eastwood plays Niall in Normal People.
You can follow him on Instagram: desmondeastwood1
You can follow him on Twitter: des_eastwood
Although Connell is popular with almost every group of people he comes into contact with, he admits struggling to make any real connections. Thankfully, he finds an instant friend in housemate Niall, played by Desmond Eastwood. Niall accompanies Connell to Marianne's family villa in Italy, and often gives him some tough love when he needs it.
As well as Normal People, Desmond has starred in Vikings, Thursday's Child, 2020 series Blood and a whole host of short films.
If you've already binged all 12 episodes of Normal People, you'll be aware that lead character Connell Waldron struggles with his mental health throughout, especially after the suicide of his best friend.
And the subject is also really close to actor Paul's heart in real-life too, recently admitting students at his own school tragically took their own lives.
He told the Independent, "It’s not fictional to me, it’s real, and I was really nervous portraying it."
Normal People is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.
READ MORE: Take our Normal People quiz