Normal People star Paul Mescal addresses criticism of ‘pornographic’ sex scenes
‘We worked very hard to make it feel like it was a real, accurate and truthful representation of sex amongst young people today,’ said the actor
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Normal People star Paul Mescal has defended the BBC series against criticism of its “pornographic” content.
Last week, a debate erupted on RTÉ Radio 1’s talkshow Liveline when a listener named Mary phoned in to complain about Normal People‘s prurient sexual content.
She complained that the scenes constituted “something you’d expect to see in a porno movie”.
However, Mescal, who plays Connell in the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s hit novel, appeared on The Late Late Show to defend the series.
“I actually listened in [to Liveline] yesterday, and I suppose I was a bit surprised,” he said, “but the last thing I want to do here is sit and judge people for that, because they’re obviously entitled to their opinion.
“But my own perspective of it is that I think we worked very hard to make it feel like it was a real, accurate and truthful representation of sex amongst young people today,” he continued.
“It’s actually something I’m incredibly proud of and I’m really proud to see on Irish screens, personally.”
Normal People tells the story of a tumultuous relationship between two Irish teenagers, played by Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones.
All 12 episodes can be seen in the UK on BBC iPlayer.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments