The writer of Oscar-tipped movie Hamnet has said she always saw Paul Mescal taking on the role of Shakespeare in the film adaption.
Maggie O'Farrell recalled seeing Mescal in the role of Stephen Dedalus in James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man in Dublin before his break-out role in the hit show Normal People.
Based on O'Farrell's award-winning novel of the same name, Hamnet is a fictional account exploring the lives of William Shakespeare, his wife Agnes and their family.
It delves into the impact of the death of Agnes and William's son, Hamnet, and how it could have influenced one of Shakespeare's most enduring masterpieces, Hamlet.
O'Farrell was born in Coleraine, County Londonderry, to Irish parents, but grew up in Wales and Scotland.
