"If lockdown ever happens again I'm making sure that I'm married."

Normal People's Paul Mescal has said that he's looking forward to dating again when the pandemic is over. The actor, who plays Connell in the hit BBC and Hulu series, said that he doesn't think dating will be "weird" in the future despite his newfound celebrity status. Since the show began airing, Mescal and co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones have appeared on multiple international chat shows including The Late Late Show with James Cordon. Their performances have also been the talking point of Kourtney Kardashian's Twitter page and, of course, Joe Duffy's Liveline. "I'm really looking forward to dating," Mescal told I'm Grand Mam podcast's PJ Kirby and Kevin Twomey. "I'm trying not to think of it being weird because I think, we've been in  lockdown for fucking months and I've has no opportunity to meet somebody new or being remotely intimate with anybody. "I'm at the point now where I want to get married and settle down, you know that hysterical thing? If lockdown ever happens again I'm making sure that I'm married. But yeah, I am looking forward to dating." Mescal, who is currently living in London, said that he had been using dating app Hinge the week before Normal People came out, but that he stopped because he "didn't like it anyway." He added that although he enjoys the attention he has been getting since the show started airing, he is conscious that fans will see him only as Connell and not as himself. "I'm not Connell, I'm totally different to him," he said. "Maybe what's sexy about Connell is he's that kind of classic back footed, aloof, smart... I'm definitely not back footed or aloof. "It was kind of fun at the start, I was like 'Oh, this is mad, people think that Connell's sexy.' A weird thing has crept in where people DM and there's a feeling that maybe there's an anticipation that I'm him. "This is for the record: if anyone ever dates me, I am not Connell and nor do I want to be him." You can listen to Paul Mescal's full interview on I'm Grand Mam here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7G1EaxvDN2UDUCOh7HTKr1?si=ioez7rViRhuOuy_CdGYbqA