Londoner’s Diary
Daisy Edgar-Jones is following in the theatrical footsteps of her Normal People co-star Paul Mescal. The actress will star in the Tennessee Williams play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Almeida Theatre in December, directed by Rebecca Frecknall. It all sounds very familiar: last year Mescal made his UK stage debut at the same theatre under the same director, in another Williams play – A Streetcar Named Desire.
“To say I’m excited would be an understatement,” Edgar-Jones told us at the BFI Luminous gala on Tuesday, adding that she had spoken to Mescal that day for a pep talk. “He said Rebecca is the best person to work with, it’s the best rehearsal process, and to just go and enjoy it.” During his run at the Almeida, Mescal was often found having a post-show pint at the nearby Old Queen’s Head pub. Will Edgar-Jones be following suit? “I hope so!”
The gala was held to raise money for the BFI’s extensive national archive, which contains nearly a million films and TV programmes. One of its keen advocates is actor and cinephile Josh O’Connor. While he’s usually found on the red carpet at a premiere, the Challengers star told The Londoner he loves nothing more than going to the movies like a normal person. His favourite cinema in London? “The Prince Charles in Leicester Square”. A fitting choice, considering his breakout role in The Crown, “but it is the best”, he insists.
