How Daisy Edgar-Jones went from 'geek' to It Girl as she reveals huge regret (2024)

WITH two Golden Globe nominations under her belt and a blockbuster hit in cinemas, Daisy Edgar-Jones has had more success in the past four years than most actors enjoy in their entire career.

Not bad, considering the British actress was a virtual unknown before being catapulted to fame thanks to her debut lead role in BBC lockdown smash-hit Normal People, alongside Paul Mescal.

5

5

5

Now the London-born star has stirred up a storm at the box office, with summer blockbuster Twisters having the biggest debut weekend for a disaster movie EVER in the US — widely exceeding expectations and pulling in £62million.

The film, directed by Lee Isaac Chung, sees Daisy starring opposite Hollywood’s man-of-the-moment, Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell.

And now her global icon status has been cemented after fashion bible Vogue dubbed 26-year-old Daisy Hollywood’s ultimate It Girl.

The world’s top designers are ­falling over themselves to dress her, with Daisy being snapped in as many as four different outfits a day as she busily promotes the film.

READ MORE IN SHOWBIZ

How Daisy Edgar-Jones went from 'geek' to It Girl as she reveals huge regret (4)
SHE SAID YES! Dani Dyer gets engaged to boyfriend Jarrod Bowen after three years of dating
How Daisy Edgar-Jones went from 'geek' to It Girl as she reveals huge regret (5)
ABBEY ENDING Abbey Clancy reveals wonder pill saved her sex life with Peter Crouch

Her high-fashion looks, including a thigh-skimming mini dress with sweetheart neckline and a boho ruffled maxi dress, are a world away from the cutesy puff-sleeved floral frocks she favoured on the red carpet and the “old, mangy shirt” she wore for promo interviews during the early days of her career.

‘More confident’

Normal People was watched by 63million people and had the nation hooked when it aired at the height of the pandemic — which also meant Daisy’s first taste of promo work was done virtually.

Speaking about navigating her newfound fame, she has said: “I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll just wear this old, mangy shirt. I just had no concept!”

And speaking more recently, she admitted: “I wish I could tell my younger self, who just wore any old thing from the wardrobe on Zoom, that those pictures would be on the internet forever.

Most read in Celebrity

ALL RITA ON THE NIGHT Rita Ora wows in silver bra and pink bikini bottoms at festival

KATE'S A SWEETIE Busty Kate Upton shows off her curves in revealing striped bikini

DO YA THINK I'M 80? My days are numbered but I've got no fear, says Rod Stewart

“I really love dressing up, I love fashion and playing around with style, and I think I am becoming more and more confident with pushing it but still feeling like myself.”

Despite her jam-packed schedule, the Brit beauty has still managed to find time to squeeze in some fun.

Watch as Normal People stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones meet up at Glastonbury - but crowds don’t recognise them

She recently told of an experience with her best friend Nancy, saying: “I went to Amsterdam to try weed for the first time.

“I was super-convinced it was good for me because of a Vice ­documentary about Californian nuns smoking it.

“They handed this menu over to us at one of the cafes and I remember there was one — it had some mental name. And it had four different strains of weed.”

Daisy said of the experience: “We were p***ing ourselves laughing for ages and ages and I wet myself.”

The actress was born in Islington, North London, and grew up in the world of entertainment.

Her dad Phil is head of entertainment at Sky TV while her mum Wendy is a former film editor.

She has said that it was playing King Henry VIII’s second wife Anne Boleyn in a primary school play that gave her the acting bug, and she went on to train with the National Youth Theatre from the age of 14 before landing her first professional job at 17, appearing in a Christmas special of BBC sitcom Outnumbered.

Daisy then joined the cast of Cold Feet as Olivia, the on-screen daughter of actress Hermione Norris.

She has revealed that after getting rejected for one acting job in early 2019, she decided to get her now famous choppy fringe cut in, crediting her much-imitated new hairstyle as some sort of lucky charm, because shortly afterwards she landed the part of bookish Marianne in raunchy drama Normal People, an adaptation of the best-selling Sally Rooney novel.

Daisy said in 2021: “It’s so funny, because my fringe came from . . . not getting a part I really wanted.

“I was so sad, and I was like, ‘Right, I’m gonna do a change. I’m just gonna chop off all the front bits of my hair.’

I really love dressing up, I love fashion and playing around with style

Daisy

"And then after that I got a job, so I do owe a lot of my career to — I seem to only be able to act if you can only see a partial amount of my face.”

The role earned her a Bafta and Golden Globe nomination. Yet she was completely unprepared for the overnight fame the 2020 series brought, saying: “The next day, I was on the front of a newspaper, papped for the first time.

“I remember going, ‘What? That’s me! I wish I’d worn a better outfit.’”

However, her emerging effortless style came to British Vogue’s attention, with her appearing on the magazine’s list of most influential women that year.

Since then, she has barely been out of work.

In 2022, she played the lead in the Hulu series Under The Banner Of Heaven alongside Andrew ­Garfield, about a real-life murder inquiry in America’s fundamentalist Mormon community, with it landing her another Golden Globe nomination.

On the silver screen, Daisy has appeared in films including the 2018 coming-of-age feature Pond Life and 2022 dark comedy- thriller Fresh before taking the lead role in a major 2022 hit, Where The Crawdads Sing.

But she is now starring in her biggest role to date, in the storm-chasing action blockbuster Twisters, a standalone sequel to the 1996 blockbuster Twister.

The actress recently switched stylists and is now working with Dani Michelle, who is behind the wardrobes of A-listers Rosie ­Huntington-Whiteley, Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner.

‘I have a weird run’

Daisy wore a custom Vivienne Westwood chestnut brown and black silk chiffon dress at the film’s premiere in London’s West End.

She has said: “Sometimes in ­photoshoots, I can feel a little shy.

"I’m not a model, and I never was someone who took photos of themselves. I hated getting my school photo taken but I’m starting to enjoy it more.”

Daisy had to undertake special training for the stunts in Twisters, including how to run properly.

She explained: “I’m not good at running, like I have a weird run, which I was told as a kid.

Sometimes in ­photoshoots, I can feel a little shy

Daisy

“And for me, that was a big stunt — to try to make it look not- pathetic. I did running lessons — isn’t that crazy?

"Actually, Paul Mescal and I were laughing about it, because he was training for ­Gladiator II and I was training for Twisters, and obviously he had to be huge and I was like, ‘Don’t worry, I’m going to be right up there with you’.”

The two rising stars have forged a strong bond since starring alongside each other in Normal People, with Daisy saying: “Paul is one of my lifetime best friends. He’s an incredibly grounded person.”

They were spotted having a blast in the crowds at Glastonbury last month.

Daisy says she prefers ­London to Hollywood and has reportedly splashed out almost £1million on her first property, a maisonette in an Edwardian terrace not far from her family home.

She has been snapped enjoying a pint of Guinness in a London beer garden after getting a taste for it while filming Normal People in Dublin.

Daisy, who has been quietly ­dating photographer Ben Seed since last year, is set to star in upcoming sweeping drama On Swift Horses, opposite Euphoria heart-throb Jacob Elordi.

READ MORE SUN STORIES

How Daisy Edgar-Jones went from 'geek' to It Girl as she reveals huge regret (11)
all change Love Island star reveals why she flew to All Stars filming but failed to make it
How Daisy Edgar-Jones went from 'geek' to It Girl as she reveals huge regret (12)
SWITCH IT ON How to get free white goods worth up to £800 through little-known scheme

And while her wardrobe might be a revolving door of changing designer outfits, it is unlikely she will change her hairstyle any time soon if she still wants to keep ­bagging those big roles.

She said: “My fringe has good vibes.”

5


Brit’s plot twister

By Dulcie Pearce, Sun Film Critic

I ALWAYS feel a moment of pride when one of our home-grown stars appears on a giant cinema screen and delivers their lines in an flawless American accent.

It means our tiny little island has, once again, beaten the best of Hollywood in the acting stakes.

Daisy Edgar-Jones has now, at the tender age of 26, had the lead in two American blockbusters – Where The Crawdads Sing (2022) and the blockbuster of the summer, Twisters – both times playing an American character.

She’s getting gigs that could be made for actual born-and-bred US superstars such as Emma Stone, Zendaya or Jennifer Lawrence.

This is always something we should celebrate.

Us Brits winning against the Yanks at their own game is a thing of beauty on the big screen.

How Daisy Edgar-Jones went from 'geek' to It Girl as she reveals huge regret (2024)

FAQs

What nationality is Daisy Edgar-Jones? ›

Daisy Edgar-Jones (born May 24, 1998) is a British actor known for her roles in "Normal People," "Under the Banner of Heaven" and "Where the Crawdads Sing."

Who is Daisy Edgar-Jones' mother? ›

Daisy Edgar-Jones was born on 24 May 1998 in the borough of Islington, London. Her Northern Irish mother Wendy is a former drama film editor who now works in real estate. Her Scottish father, Philip, is director of Sky Arts and head of entertainment at Sky.

Is Daisy Jones based on real life? ›

Well, no. Daisy Jones and The Six, along with the rest of the characters that orbit them in the story, are entirely fictional. But, they were based on a real rock band that reigned the decade—Fleetwood Mac.

Who is Daisy Jones supposed to be? ›

Although folksy singer Daisy Jones (Riley Keough—granddaughter of Elvis Presley) and frontman/lead guitarist Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin) are fictional characters, they're obvious proxies for Nicks and Buckingham, who remained bandmates for years after their tumultuous breakup during the recording of Fleetwood Mac's 1977 ...

Who is Daisy Edgar Jones best friend? ›

Edgar-Jones said in July 2024 that she sees Mescal as a “lifetime best friend.” Years after Normal People's release, Edgar-Jones told Variety that she and Mescal remain very close. “Paul is one of my lifetime best friends,” she said.

What happened to Daisy's mother? ›

Melinda Coleman, mother of Daisy Coleman, dies by suicide 4 months after daughter. Daisy Coleman, a sexual assault survivor who was the subject of Netflix's 2016 documentary "Audrie & Daisy," also died by suicide in August.

Did Daisy Jones have kids? ›

But what she does with her remaining days differ from page to screen. The novel has Daisy leave the music business, publish some books, pick up meditation, and adopt two sons. But in the series, Daisy continues to be a famous musician and has a daughter.

What nationality is Princess Daisy? ›

First appearing in 1989's Super Mario Land, Daisy is the princess of Sarasaland, a world outside of the series' usual setting of the Mushroom Kingdom, and is rescued by Mario from the alien Tatanga.

Who are the parents of Daisy Jones? ›

Daisy Jones was born in 1951 and grew up in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. The daughter of Frank Jones, the well-known British painter, and Jeanne LeFevre, a French model, Daisy started to make a name for herself in the late sixties as a young teenager on the Sunset Strip.

What was Daisy Jones original name? ›

In the show, Daisy's birth name is revealed as Margaret. She changes it to Daisy when she hits the Los Angeles music scene, symbolizing her desire to forget her neglectful childhood.

Who is the Irish guy in Daisy Jones and the Six? ›

Gavin Drea was born in Dublin, Ireland. He is known for Daisy Jones & The Six (2023), Wedding Season (2022) and Vikings: Valhalla (2022).

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Msgr. Benton Quitzon

Last Updated:

Views: 5351

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (63 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Msgr. Benton Quitzon

Birthday: 2001-08-13

Address: 96487 Kris Cliff, Teresiafurt, WI 95201

Phone: +9418513585781

Job: Senior Designer

Hobby: Calligraphy, Rowing, Vacation, Geocaching, Web surfing, Electronics, Electronics

Introduction: My name is Msgr. Benton Quitzon, I am a comfortable, charming, thankful, happy, adventurous, handsome, precious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.