Normal People’s Paul Mescal joins incredible cast for first feature film

Be still our beating hearts. We really could not be any happier for this young Irish actor, who seems to be having a much better 2020 than the rest of us!

It has just been revealed by The Hollywood Reporter that Normal People’s breakout actor, Paul Mescal will be starring in his very first film, The Lost Daughter.

This is incredible news for the Emmy-nominee — not only because it’s his feature film debut, but also because the production has quite a few big names attached to it already; including the likes of Olivia Colman from The Crown and Fleabag, along with Jessie Buckley of Fargo and Dakota Johnson of Fifty Shades fame.

The Lost Daughter is based on a book of the same name by critically acclaimed author, Elena Ferrante. After receiving a letter from Maggie Gyllenhaal requesting if she could adapt the book for the big screen, Ferrante agreed with one condition, that Gyllenhaal agrees to direct too. And so The Lost Daughter will be Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut.

What will it be about though? Well, Olivia Coleman plays an elegant college professor and mother, on a seaside summer vacation. She soon becomes fearful and overwhelmed by memories of her early motherhood journey. Forced to consider the unconventional choices she made as a young mother and the consequences they had for her family, she begins to unravel. 

After seeing Paul adapt the character of Sally Rooney’s Connell Waldron so perfectly, earning him his first Emmy nomination, we’re sure he’s going to absolutely excel at this new role too. Since filming has yet to begin though, we're sure to be in for a long wait.