The courtship of Paul Mescal and Phoebe Bridgers was straight out of a romcom. He was the sensitive, chain-wearing adonis who had just met fame via the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People. Bridgers was the indie singer-songwriter with a sack of sad-girl anthems in her pocket and a legion of online fans. An initial Twitter exchange between the pair in May 2020 got fans hooked.
“Finished Normal People and now I’m sad and horny oh wait,” Bridgers tweeted, to which Mescal replied: “I’m officially dead.” They then spoke virtually for the first time, on a live-stream for Wonderland magazine, that same month. Watching it was like third-wheeling a first date. Mescal blushed as he sipped on wine and introduced his houseplant, Henry. Bridgers, wearing a pyjama top and fiddling with her duvet, uncontrollably grinned as they exchanged flirty jokes.
