Songbird
It began in lockdown, but Daisy Edgar-Jones is ready to spread her wings around the world. Niall Glynn traces the journey of one of Britain’s most indomitable rising stars.
The United Kingdom may be failing in many ways both economically and socially, yet there’s one part which has seen an incredible boom: that of young, talented female performers. From Florence Pugh to Letitia Wright to Daisy Ridley, we are living in a golden age for young British actresses. However, while many are enjoying indie success before being catapulted into Star Wars or Marvel mega-franchise stardom, there is one new talent who has found a wholly original career path, playing roles that touch upon the extremities of human behaviour, good, evil and everything in-between: Daisy Edgar-Jones.
Although she was catapulted into fame by the success of BBC’s adaptation of Normal People, Edgar-Jones had been working for years before the source material had even been written by Sally Rooney. A guest spot on the sitcom Outnumbered led into a recurring role on ITV’s second run of Cold Feet, and after appearances on Silent Witness and Gentleman Jack the actress made her feature debut in the ‘90s-set indie drama Pond Life. She has been a member of the National Youth Theatre since she was 15, starring in Albion, Mike Bartlett’s startling Brexit-critique stage play in early 2020.
When Normal People debuted in April 2020, it couldn’t have possibly come at a less normal time. Although only in the infancy of the global coronavirus pandemic, during the initial lockdowns and distancing measures so many were grappling with this new approach to life, one which minimised direct human connections. Is it any wonder that a show about reconciling emotional distance between young people became such a hit during this worldwide low point for romance?
Male lead Paul Mescal impressed with his vulnerable portrayal of Connell, a young GAA star turned literary academic, but it was Daisy Edgar-Jones who managed to achieve the impossible: she portrayed a troubled young Irishwoman with such unbelievable conviction and authenticity that her London origins were completely obscured.
One of the most common indignities the Irish tend to suffer in pop culture is the abysmal accent work so often utilised by Hollywood - who could forget (or forgive) Michael J. Fox’s twee nonsense in Back to the Future 3? Or power couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s ear-aching insults in Far and Away? Even the legendary Orson Welles’ utter failure with the accent in The Lady from Shanghai? It seems the larger the figure the greater the failure when it comes to this particular act of elocutionary hubris.
This makes Jones’ success even more extraordinary. Had this accent been in any way inauthentic, the show would have been over before it had even begun – especially among a cast of otherwise actual Irish performers. Playing Marianne, a strong-minded, intelligent loner, Edgar-Jones found a perfect balance between self-loathing and dignity, the fractured mindset of someone who knows they deserve better but has had the opposite compounded by her abusive family. The salvation and torment of her relationship with Connell provides the emotional core of the miniseries, and Edgar-Jones captured this pleasure and pain with unbelievable grace.
Is there a more perfect distillation of the pained awkward young romance than their first kiss? Edgar-Jones perfectly plays the difficult balancing act of trying to avoid seeming too uncharacteristically enthusiastic whilst also dying to finally lock lips with Connell. This brief peck is then perfectly punctuated with a wonderfully understated “that was nice.” In a show where almost all conflicts could have been resolved if the two lovers had just said what they were really feeling, this mundane reaction speaks volumes.
The honest depiction of young sexuality may have been controversial in Ireland, but it’s an amazing showcase of Jones’ commitment to emotional authenticity. In the frank discussions of sex, as well as the physical scenes, there is a level of maturity that’s long been missing in shows for young adults. It’s hard to think of a stronger recent breakout role for an actor, yet Edgar-Jones’ next projects show a true hunger to keep pushing her limits.
How fitting to go from a series about the all-consuming nature of love to a literal cannibal rom-com? From the normalcy of her breakout hit to such a dark comedy concept in Disney+ film Fresh, there could always have been a worry that Jones had bitten off more than she could chew. But such early scepticism seems hard to swallow after seeing her in the resulting film, a deliciously brutal thriller.
Where Normal People told a moving tale of two young people who find true love in a hardened world, Fresh begins with a damning showcase of the horrors of modern dating. The endless parade of faces on apps, the awkward, oft interrupted, etiquette of dinner dates and the depressing reality of unsolicited dick pics. Even without a cannibalistic twist, the film would have been a strong horror picture for these excoriating situations.
Jones plays Noa, a young woman struggling with the obscenely low standard of men she meets via online dating. Again she boasts excellent accent work, flawlessly becoming a young Portland woman who has begun to give up on her quest for romantic connection.
Enter Steve. Played by everyone’s favourite Winter Soldier Sebastian Stan, he’s everything Noa has been looking for. Devastatingly handsome with an offbeat sense of humour and a refined palate, their meet-cute in a supermarket is the millennial dating dream. “I didn’t think people met people in real life anymore, you know?” Noa tells her astonished best friend. He seems too good to be true.
As the love story turns horrific, Noa’s arc from hunger-quelling hostage to avenging angel is compelling and believable despite the bloody, bonkers stakes. This isn’t one for the squeamish: blood and guts are literally on the menu. As Steve describes his demented plan to his captive audience, Noa’s desperate anxious panic is a convincing display of true terror – horror film fans will be thrilled to see a new scream queen being forged before their very eyes. From sweet beginnings to a brutal finale, the whole film makes a statement on Edgar-Jones’ versatility: she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty.
The actor’s next big outing teamed her up with fellow chameleonic English actor Andrew Garfield, in the television adaptation of Dustin Lance Black’s Under the Banner of Heaven. Based on a true murder case, Edgar-Jones plays Brenda Lafferty, a murdered Mormon mother to a young daughter who is also tragically killed.
As Brenda, Edgar-Jones finds her Laura Palmer role, a captivating and moving portrait of a young woman whose life was so viciously stolen. A bright, talented young woman with aspirations that set her at odds with the strict religious and patriarchal world she inhabited, Edgar-Jones finds the poignancy of a brilliant woman taken before her time, one struggling with the weight of expectations. Garfield may be the lead of the show, but Edgar-Jones is the true star.
“She was perfect”, cries Brenda’s bereaved husband Allen, intercut with her singing at Miss Twin Falls, a local pageant. This haunting rendition of ‘The Rose’ shows Brenda at her most idealised, glammed up for the contest, an almost angelic vision. This may be how Allen chooses to remember her, but as the series develops it becomes clear how much more was to this tragic figure.
Which leads us to her biggest role to date in Where the Crawdads Sing, a silver screen adaptation of controversial author Delia Owens’ best-selling novel. Where Edgar-Jones’ previous roles were on the smaller screen (or in Fresh’s case straight to streaming) this is a no-holds barred big-screen extravaganza, produced by Reese Witherspoon.
Having conquered Sligo, Portland and Utah, Edgar-Jones next set her sights on the swampy marshes of North Carolina. As Kya, a young outcast in the ‘60s, she’s accused of a heinous murder – the inverse of her previous TV role. She also returns to her loner roots from Normal People but taken to the extreme as a young woman who had been abandoned to fend for herself in the marsh, distrusted and disliked by the local townsfolk. With overwhelming evidence pointing towards her guilt, Edgar-Jones’ trademark ability to remain dignified and defiant against the injustices thrust upon her is put to the ultimate test.
It’s almost impossible to find a thematic throughline in Edgar-Jones’ career to date, other than her dedication to challenging roles that cover a mind-boggling range of taboo subjects. From young lust and self-loathing to kidknapping, cannibalism, religious fanaticism and murder it would be easy to assume Daisy Edgar-Jones only focuses on dark roles, but this would be a gross oversimplification. As Kya herself says, “I don’t know if there is a dark side to nature. Just inventive ways to endure, against all odds.” It’s clear the actor’s talent is in finding beauty and dignity in this great darkness, a lighthouse shining through – against all odds.
Where the Crawdads Sing is out in UK cinemas now.
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