Paul Mescal has admitted that a lot of the attention he received after the debut of Normal People made him rather uncomfortable.

The Irish star’s portrayal of Connell in the hit BBC series based on Sally Rooney’s novel of the same name won him a legion of new fans, and an Emmy nomination.

However, much was also made of the show’s more sexual scenes, with Paul admitting in a new interview with Elle that he felt “objectified” in the fall-out from the show.

“I felt objectified after Normal People,” he said. “It’s to be expected, given the intimacy of my scenes, but it doesn’t make it easier. I daren’t read some of the intense DMs I receive.” 

Fortunately, he added that it wasn’t “enough to put him off the industry”, with Paul recently signing on to appear in The Lost Daughter, opposite Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley and Dakota Johnson.

The actor is currently awaiting news on whether his performance in Normal People has landed him his first Emmy, although many were surprised to see his co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones was not nominated.

Among those disappointed by the snub was Paul himself, who said at the time: “If it was me I would have given her all the love in that category. I can’t speak highly enough of the work she did on the show.

“I know there are extraordinary actresses nominated in that category, but I think Daisy’s work is just phenomenal in this.”

Read Paul’s interview in full in the October issue of Elle magazine, on sale from 3 September.