Tag: Normal People

‘Normal People’ Star Paul Mescal Discusses the Importance of the Intimacy Coordinator

Normal People — Episode 8 – Episode 108 — (Photo by Enda Bowe/Hulu)

The Me Too movement has also led to the rise of Intimacy Coordinators on set, and it begs the question — how did actors go so long without them? An actor/friend once told me that sex scenes are often so uncomfortable because they are so poorly choreographed, and because many directors are also uncomfortable with the scenes, the actors are left to their own devices, which can lead to problems.

After binging Normal People on Hulu, I was extremely curious about the sex scenes, especially since they were so raw and believable. In the interview below, series star Paul Mescal details the importance of the Intimacy Coordinator. And kudos to the interviewer for asking well thought out questions.

Hulu’s ‘Normal People’ — The Best New Show to Watch

I’m only four episodes into Hulu’s Normal People, and I can already say it’s one of the rawest, most realistic portrayals of young, complicated love that I’ve seen in nearly a decade. Based on Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel, the series follows Irish lovers Connell Waldron (Paul Mescal) and Marianne Sheridan (Daisy Edgar-Jones) as they navigate their on/off romance, which is complicated by different upbringings, the opinions of others, personal insecurities, and all the mistakes we make before we know better.

The Guardian reviewed this gem of a series with a heavy, unforgiving hand, calling it “little more than a gutless soap opera for millennials.” And the takedown didn’t stop there. They also said it is “a tedious reworking of a romance plot as old as time. I’d rather read an honest bodice-ripper.” I don’t think I’ve ever been more pleased to read a review. Why? Because it’s so incredibly wrong it just proves that jaded hearts and elite television palettes simply won’t understand it’s beauty — and that’s okay. Yes there’s a class struggle “as old as time.” But the story is more about young love and when acted out by two people with Sheridan and Mescal’s prowess and earnest chemistry, it will inevitably feel fresh.