Paul Mescal has said he found the overnight success of Normal People "brutal" and also revealed why he gave up playing Gaelic football.
The Kildare-native told GQ magazine that the attention he received following the success of Normal People was "brutal".
The 24-year-old actor said: "Brutal, if I am honest with you. Totally brutal.
"At first you think 'Oh, this is a bit glamorous' when someone is taking a picture of you buying ready-to-eat avocados and cigarettes at the off-licence, but soon enough you feel it begin to infiltrate your brain."
Mescal also addressed his decision to give up Gaelic football and focus fully on pursuing acting after suffering a jaw injury.
He said: "I played it on the sly for two years. I had already decided to give it up in my final year but then I got slapped pretty hard across the face and my jaw snapped.
"If sport was my thing on the side, I had to drop my thing on the side. No distractions."
