Have you heard of Sally Rooney's coming-of-age novel, Normal People? Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescall (open in new tab)). It gives us a glimpse into their story over the course of four years, including first love, social class, and the importance of communication between the two.

Rooney's book has had a cult following since its release, and when it was announced that it would be a 12-episode series on Hulu (available April 29), it generated even more buzz. Before we get into Marianne and Connell's story, here's everything you need to know about Daisy Edgar-Jones, the 21-year-old actress who plays Marianne in the series.

Growing up as an only child in north London, Edgar-Jones considered herself a "very average" subject in elementary school (opens in new tab). It was when she decided to try out for the school play that she felt she had found her calling. [That was the first time I remember people saying, 'Wow, you were good. Acting seemed like the thing I was best at."

At age 14, Edgar-Jones tried out for and was accepted by the National Youth Theatre (open in new tab). Orlando Bloom, Rosamund Pike, Colin Firth, Dame Helen Mirren, and Daniel Craig were among the theater's famous alumni. Edgar Jones told Woodhouse College (opens in new tab), "It's one of the main reasons I can now start acting professionally."

She later made her television debut at age 17 in a revival of the British comedy Cold Feet. More recently, you may have seen her as Emily in the 2019 film adaptation of War of the Worlds or as Delia Lawson in the popular BBC drama Gentleman Jack (opens in new tab).

For Edgar-Jones, the most difficult part of filming "Normal People" was making sure she had her Irish accent down. in a conversation with i-D (opens in new tab), she described the pressure she felt during the first week of shooting." I went home every day feeling like, 'Oh my God,' and having serious impostor syndrome," she said. "I was also worried about the accent. It's an Irish story. I wanted to do it justice."

She mastered the accent perfectly in just two weeks. She credits her long conversations with fellow Irish cast mates and writer Sally Rooney for helping her master the accent so quickly. She told ELLE UK, "I used to listen to Sally's accent a lot." (Open in new tab)

It's icing on the cake when two fictional characters you care deeply about are also friends IRL. When the series ended, Edgar-Jones posted the cutest video of her and Mezcal celebrating.

"This is the end of Normal People. What a wonderful five months I spent with the best people in the world. Paul Mescall entertained me as always. Thank you for being a superlative companion and for overwhelming me with your talent and kindness (sorry for the sentimentality tonight). x Bye, Marianne.

Yes, you can rest easy knowing that Edgar-Jones cares about Marianne and Connell's coming-of-age story as much as you do; before filming the 12-part series, the 21-year-old read the book five times. (Five times. Four more times than me.)

"Sally is incredibly talented and I was in complete awe," she says (open in new tab). Edgar-Jones told ELLE UK that flying to Dublin to take a chemistry test with Mescal, who plays Connell, was the scariest thing she had ever done. 'I wanted this role more than anything. 'I felt like I understood Marianne. I really got her sense of humor."

"Normal People" premieres Wednesday, April 29 on Hulu. Click here for a free trial (opens in a new tab).

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