Daisy Edgar-Jones is hot property in the acting world right now. Having cut her teeth as a regular in ITV drama Cold Feet, in 2019 she landed the lead role of Marianne Sheridan in the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People. The captivating coming-of-age love story was released at the beginning of the covid pandemic and amassed an incredible 63 million views on BBC iPlayer, turning Daisy and co-star Paul Mescal into overnight celebrities.
Following the staggering success of the series in both the UK and US, which earned Daisy BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations, the star is now one of the most in-demand British actors.
Last year she worked back-to-back in America and Canada — filming murder miniseries Under the Banner of Heaven opposite Andrew Garfield, gory satire Fresh, which was released in March to rave reviews, and the movie adaptation of the Delia Owens novel, Where the Crawdads Sing. The film is executively produced by Hollywood royalty Reese Witherspoon and sees Daisy playing protagonist Kya, aka 'Marsh Girl'.
The future is definitely looking bright for Daisy. Here are a few fun facts you may not know about her…
Her parents are in the media industry
Daisy Jessica Edgar-Jones was born on 14th May 1998 in Islington, and grew up in Muswell Hill, North London. The only child of Wendy and Phillip, it seems Daisy was always destined for a career in the media. Her mum was a film producer, while her dad is Head of Entertainment at Sky. Daisy first fell in love with acting aged seven when her teacher cast her to play Anne Boleyn in a production about Henry VIII done in the style of Jerry Springer.
“That was when I first had that experience of enjoying and really inhibiting a character,” she told Rolling Stone. With the full support of her parents, Daisy joined the National Youth Theatre and after being signed by an agent she secured her first TV role, playing Olivia Marsden in ITV’s Cold Feet. Roles in Brit indie flick Pond Life, BBC’s Gentleman Jack, and miniseries War of the Worlds followed before she was invited to try out for the part of Marianne Sheridan in Normal People, which would take her career to a whole new level.
She’s a former head girl
She may have played an outcast in Normal People, but in real life Daisy was very popular among her peers, and head girl at The Mount School for Girls. In a recent interview with The Times she revealed: “I’ve always been quite a good girl — I was head girl — and I found a diary entry recently where I was stressing out, aged 15. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I am so stressed because I feel such responsibility to be a role model as head girl, but I want to join in with my friends and laugh.’”
Despite being on the cusp of becoming a Hollywood A-lister, down-to-earth Daisy still describes herself as the ‘geeky, odd person’ in her friendship group and insists she’s always the butt of her pal’s jokes.
Tom Cruise was her first crush
Daisy has acted opposite quite a few handsome men, but remembers the first actor to ever make her giddy was Tom Cruise. “When I was seven my parents told me we were watching Top Gun and apparently I came over all funny and started laughing hysterically every time Tom Cruise came on screen,” the star confessed. It wasn’t just Maverick that made Daisy go weak at the knees. She also used to have a thing for actor Logan Lerman, who played Percy Jackson in the film adaptation of the popular book series.
Her famous fringe is a lucky charm
After being rejected for an acting job in the spring of 2019, Daisy decided to freshen up her image by having a fringe cut in. Shortly after getting her new do, she auditioned for Normal People and is convinced her now famous bangs helped her land the role of mysterious Marianne.
Much like Connell’s chain necklace, Marianne’s choppy fringe became as iconic as the character herself and was mentioned in nearly every print and online publication. Although Daisy was initially surprised her hairstyle caused such a stir, she now gets it. “Hair says so much about how we want to express ourselves,” she shared in a chat with The Times. “My fringe has good vibes.” That it does!
She’s real-life BFF’s with Normal People co-star Paul Mescal
Sorry to disappoint any Normal People fans, but the sizzling chemistry between Daisy and on-screen love interest Paul Mescal was for the cameras only. The pair have, however, remained great mates since filming for the series wrapped in 2019. And Daisy only has good things to say about her former co-star.
Discussing their bond on the How to Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast she explained: “Mine and Paul’s relationship is the polar opposite to Marianne and Connell’s – we’re very silly together. You know, Paul had never done TV before and I’d never played a lead, so for us both it (Normal People) was a big first experience. Our friendship is a wonderful thing and something I’ll really treasure forever – I feel so lucky to have met Paul.” Ahh, how cute is that?
She loves a spot of reality TV
Daisy’s idea of a perfect night in consists of binge-watching episodes of Made in Chelsea while eating chocolate. The reality series follows the lives and loves of a group of affluent young people who live in one of London’s most exclusive postcodes, and Daisy’s been a fan since it launched back in 2011.
Describing MIC as her guilty pleasure, the actress unashamedly declares it’s the best thing ever, and has no plans to stop watching it. Daisy’s love of reality TV was no doubt sparked by her dad, Phillip, who worked as the creative director on Big Brother for a decade, and would often take her into the studio with him.
The way to her heart is with freezer food
Daisy is currently single, having called time on her two-year romance with actor Tom Varey in late 2021. But listen up, fellas, because there’s a no-frills way to woo this gorgeous lady.
When asked by the Irish Mirror what the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for her, Daisy replied: “It’s very random, but it would probably be when I moved into the apartment I stayed in when I filmed Normal People. My boyfriend came and helped me move in and when I went out for a costume fitting he brought me a load of frozen food from Tesco and filled the freezer with things like potato waffles. It doesn’t seem that romantic, but genuinely that is what I lived on for the whole four and a half months of filming. Every time I ate a potato waffle I thought of him!”
She'd love to produce music videos
Daisy’s career is going from strength to strength but, as well as fulfilling her acting ambitions, Daisy has aspirations of going down a more musical route. “If I wasn’t an actress I think I would maybe be someone who directs music videos,” she confessed to Harper’s Bazaar.
“I love listening to music and imagining a scenario, so I would one day like to direct a video. I think it’s quite a skill.” Oh and in case you want to know, Daisy’s top three favourite songs are – "Strawberry Swing" by Coldplay, "Never Too Much" by Luther Vandross (that’s her dance song!) and "I Wanna Be Adored" by The Stone Roses.
She loves being on location
Filming for Daisy’s latest film, the highly-anticipated Where the Crawdads Sing took place in Louisiana over a period of four months, and Daisy relished experiencing new surroundings. “I’d never seen an environment like it,” she admitted to Harper’s Bazaar.
“I’d never been to a swamp, seen nature like that, or cockroaches before. It was an amazing place.” It wasn’t all work, work, work though, as Daisy got to experience the nightlife in New Orleans, dancing on Bourbon Street and sampling their gigantic tequila shots. “My friends and I also hired kayaks and took a trip down the Bayou – there were alligators sleeping on the banks, it was pretty incredible.” Sounds a little scary if you ask us!
Daisy Edgar-Jones fact file
Frequently asked questions about the actress…
How old is Daisy Edgar-Jones?
Daisy Edgar-Jones is 23, she was born on 24th May 1998.
Is Daisy Edgar-Jones married?
Daisy Edgar-Jones is not married.
Does Daisy Edgar-Jones have any children?
Daisy Edgar-Jones doesn’t have any children.
Where was Daisy Edgar-Jones born?
Daisy Edgar-Jones was born in Islington, North London.
How tall is Daisy Edgar-Jones?
Daisy is 5 foot 7.
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Twitter: @DaisyEdgarJones
We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.
