Mescal played Connell, a popular high schooler (and later college student) who begins a relationship with classmate Marianne, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones. Watched by millions at the height of social distancing, the show’s tremulous intimacy struck a particularly resonant chord.

But only the sex did not make a sensation. Mescal was so striking in the series, Haigh explains, “because of his vulnerability on screen. It’s something that male actors often resist, but Paul is never afraid to show it, and that’s why you fall in love with him all the more.”

It was this quality that Haigh wanted to capitalize on in his own film – particularly for the scene where Mescal and Scott’s characters meet. “Paul shows up at Andrew’s door and has to play this weird mix of desperation, fear, lust and drunkenness – which is a very, very difficult mix to pull off without being disappointing. But the way Paul did it, it’s the opposite: he makes that combination a way to draw you in.”

Releasing Normal People in the middle of Covid-19 may have done wonders for Mescal’s profile, but it also boosted his love life. Among his better-known fans was American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, who tweeted that the show left her “sad and turned on”: Mescal responded, and for the next two years they were officially an item.