Daisy Edgar-Jones on feeling like an 'outsider' and fame

It was the perfect storm: the most coveted fringe to appear on screen in 2020, in one of the most-watched dramas on television, during a global pandemic when no one has access to a hairdresser. So is actor Daisy Edgar-Jones, owner of bangs declared by England Mode has “stealed the show” normal people”, feel responsible for the widespread DIY haircut disaster?

Daisy laughed. “Wow, this is so funny because it’s the last thing you expect people to like,” he said, referring to his famous character, Marianne, and apparently avoiding responsibility for a botched chopping job. “It was just a part of our experience that we never thought about and then after that, it became a big part of the show.”

If you Google “Marianne suburb”, more than 1.4 million results show up. Enter “Marianne’s bangs,” as Americans would say, and it comes close to 10 million.

Today Daisy is frills-free on a Zoom call, talking about her latest role in film Where the Crawdads Sing. But even without her signature ‘do’, she is instantly recognizable by her round brown eyes, her black hair that hangs loosely around her face, and the pensive look that disappears as soon as she smiles widely.

Daisy appears to be sitting in the attic – the skylight above her desk is a gift – and she admits she’s back in her childhood bedroom. “I have to move immediately,” he said. “I was only 24 and I was like, ‘I don’t need to stay home!’ ”

Daisy plays Kya, who was once an abandoned child raising herself in a marshland, in the screen adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing.Credit:Sony Pictures

But surely his parents are glad he’s back in London after a busy few years filming and promoting his work around the world? “They’re probably fed up with me now. I think they liked it for a while and now they’re like, ‘Get out’,” she said, her tongue pressed firmly against those enviable cheekbones.

As an only child, Daisy was close to her parents, and credited them with starting show business. They are far from stage parents, but his Scottish father, Philip Edgar-Jones, is a Sky TV executive, and his Northern Irish mother, Wendy, is a film editor, so they both know their way around the industry. “The biggest impact they had was encouraging me to audition for the National Youth Theater [aged 14]. That’s how I first auditioned in an open casting and how I got my agent,” he said.

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Beyond that early hiatus, his parents instilled in him a love of acting. “I am very lucky, growing up in a family that loves art. We would often go to the theater as a family, and watch movies and TV,” he said, adding that their careers had also influenced his relaxed attitude towards the precarious nature of work. “Both of my parents had an idea of ​​what it was like to be self-employed, which is a big part of being an actor. You don’t always know when the next job will come. And I guess, because of that, they weren’t too afraid of me going after something without security.”

“Both of my parents had an idea of ​​what it was like to be self-employed, which is a big part of being an actor. You don’t always know when the next job will come.”

His first leading role was in a British television series Cold feet, which he shot while still in school. After that came the British indie films 2018 pond life and TV miniseries World Warbefore she was cast as Marianne in normal peoplewho is only 20 years old. The phenomenal success of this series, based on Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel of the same name, officially propelled Daisy’s profile into the stratosphere.

“I didn’t know it was going to be that big,” he admits. “I don’t know in general what it’s like, coming out at all, let alone burning like that. It was completely unexpected.”

Daisy admits that the timing of the release – during a worldwide pandemic when people have little to do other than baking sourdough bread and watching television – has had an undeniable impact. “I don’t know if it will happen so soon. I think that closeness is something I will probably never experience again,” he said. “I remember the day it launched, I was woken up by four messages from friends saying they had it done. It’s eight in the morning! The closeness of the people who watched it was probably something unique at that time.

“But I thought the story was really beautiful, and Sally’s book was just amazing. So there will definitely be an impact, but maybe not that fast.”

Behind the success of the series, Daisy got an American agent and the door suddenly opened for her. He was soon cast in the lead role in Where the Crawdads Singfilm adaptation of Delia Owens’ highly anticipated novel that has sold more than 12 million copies since its publication in 2018.

The story is set in North Carolina in 1969, with Daisy playing the role of Kya, the once abandoned child who raised herself in a marshland (for those wondering: crawdads are crayfish and they are known to make squealing noises). As Kya grows up, she is in a relationship with two young men from the city, but when one of them is found dead, she becomes the prime suspect. As the murder trial unfolds, the truth behind the deaths becomes increasingly blurred, but what is exposed are the prejudices of the townspeople.

Daisy said she was surprised by the overwhelming response to Normal People: “I remember the day it came out, I woke up to four messages from friends saying they had it done. It’s eight in the morning!” Credit:Gustavo Papaleo/The Guardian/Eyevine/Australscope

This is Daisy’s second time leading the cast to bring her beloved book to the screen. Does it come with added pressure? “A lot of people who watch will have a very strong preconceived version of the story and that will be very dear to them, because it’s a very special book to a lot of people,” he said. “That’s something I’m aware of. But I also have to accept that things will always be different. It will never be the same and the hope is that they can become each other’s cousins. You can see they are totally related, but they are two different things. ”

Daisy described Kya’s character as “very complex”. “On the one hand, he is very strong and tough and strong, but he is also very gentle and quiet, and very observant.”

In some ways, Kya draws parallels with Marianne’s high school version in normal people. Both misunderstood, both loners. How does Daisy take advantage of this feeling?

“I think we all feel like outsiders sometimes,” he said. “That is something that is part of the human experience, in many ways, of course. But there is an aspect of feeling that I must have experienced before.

“I think we all feel like outsiders sometimes. It is something that is part of the human experience.”

“What I love about this job is that it gives me the opportunity to really think about and put myself in other people’s shoes. That’s something I’ve always been interested in: how other people experience and feel. And also how rich everyone’s life is. I feel that my inner life is quite rich. But actually, now I can explore other people and see what moves them, and what makes them make the decisions they’ve made throughout their lives.”

But for now, she’s enjoying being back in London and just being Daisy, Philip and Wendy’s daughter. “Last year I was at home for about 10 days all year round. So it’s really nice to be home because I really miss my family.”

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And it was the simple pleasures he enjoyed the most. “My dad makes an amazing Sunday roast,” she says. “He makes really good grilled chicken with all the baked potatoes. And he makes a really good sauce.”

Listening to Daisy talk about her family and returning home, it seems that despite all her success and fame, she remains, well, a normal person.

“My parents were always very good at things like, ‘Make sure you keep your feet on the ground.’ There is a saying in Ireland called ideas. The idea is, ‘He thinks he’s really great.’ They’re like, ‘Don’t understand. Remember what’s important and what’s important.’ And that’s what he did.

Where the Crawdads Sing in theaters July 21.

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