Normal People season 2: Paul Mescal says reprising role as Connell would be ‘amazing’

‘There’s no question that character to me is still alive and breathing and very much has a lot of life left to live’

Paul Mescal has admitted that returning to his role as Connell in Normal People would be “amazing”.

The 24-year-old is the male lead in Sally Rooney’s 12-part TV adaptation about young love that has won record amounts of views for BBC3.

Speaking about the decision to end Normal People on a cliffhanger, Mescal told Wonderland magazine: “I thought it was just the most beautifully sad ending to a story”.

He continued: “The romantic in me is like why doesn’t she just tell him to stay? Or why doesn’t she come over to New York? But it doesn’t make sense in the reality of those two characters’ lives.

“I think ultimately if they did decide to stay together at that moment, it would be way more disappointing than the reality of the ending.”

Responding to fans’ pleas for another series, Mescal said: “Oh, there’s no question that character to me is still alive and breathing and very much has a lot of life left to live, and has a relationship with Marianne that is maybe unfinished.”

But he also cautioned: “I do feel like the series that has finished is its own thing, and I’m totally comfortable with that. It’s not on the cards at the moment, but if I got the opportunity to play him again, amazing.”

The producers of Normal People are currently working on an adaptation of Sally Rooney’s first novel Conversations With Friends.