In the few short years since Daisy Edgar-Jones graced our screens, she has quickly captured our hearts and some iconic roles. 2022 was the actress’ best year, with three performances releasing that consisted of an Emmy-nominated show, and two highly-anticipated feature-length films. In early 2022, she appeared in a horror film entitled Fresh. Fresh stars Edgar-Jones opposite Sebastian Stan in a film that could be an early contender for this year’s Best Horror Film. In May 2022, Edgar-Jones played the murdered wife in the Jon Krakauer adaptation Under the Banner of Heaven with Andrew Garfield, who was recently nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of Detective Jeb Pyre.
Edgar-Jones’ most recent film comes from another novel adaptation called Where the Crawdads Sing, which was written by Delia Owens. The film was a successful adaptation in the sense that Edgar-Jones’ performance helped propel the Marsh Girl into a great on-screen character. The novel gained popularity when it was named to Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Book Club in its early days. What’s more, it is one of a few that have been adapted to either the big screen or the small screen. According to an article on lifehacker.com, Where the CrawdadsSing is the most successful adaptation of the books in Reese’s Book Club to date.
While 2022, was her biggest year, Edgar-Jones was gracing our screens in TV series across different streaming platforms. Here is a closer look into Edgar-Jones’ six best performances, including her 2022 performances, ranked.
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6 Cold Feet
ITV
Cold Feet is a TV series that ran from 1997 to 2003 before it was renewed in 2016. The original series follows different couples living in Manchester, while the revamp picks up a decade later when the gang is reunited for a new wedding back in the city. In 2016, Edgar-Jones joined the revamped cast and remained part of the show until its final episode in 2020. In the series, Edgar-Jones played Olivia Marsden who is the daughter of one of the couples.
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In the revamp of Cold Feet, her character is a twin who is secretly in love with her sister’s boyfriend, who also is another child of one of the main couples in the show. The BAFTA-winning show aired on ITV in the UK and can now be watched on Prime Video’s Freevee.
5 War of the Worlds
EPIX
Many have heard of the Tom Cruise action film War of the Worlds, but not many may remember the EPIX TV version. While the series may not be as popular as the original film, it’s actually about to debut its third season on EPIX. Edgar-Jones appeared in the first two seasons of the show where she played the character of Emily Gresham.
Similar to the H.G. Wells classic, in the TV version, a group of survivors teams up after the extra-terrestrial strike. The time period is contemporary France, making the series more of an Anglo-French reimagining. Viewers of the show enjoy the sci-fi series, but think that it is a pit slow-paced, though it is still worth watching.
4 Under the Banner of Heaven
FX
Under the Banner of Heaven is an FX/Hulu limited series based on true events. In the limited series, Edgar-Jones plays Brenda Lafferty, the wife and mother who was murdered by an LDS Fundamentalist family who did not agree with how free-spirited Brenda was. Along with her infant daughter, Brenda was murdered by those in the family she was married into.
The series is investigated by a detective and LDS member Jeb Pyre, played by Andrew Garfield. It’s pretty obvious from the start of the investigation that the murder was committed by someone within the Lafferty family. As the investigation unfolds, Detective Pyre finds his faith questioned, his family endangered, and the Laffertys are not who they say they are.
3 Fresh
Searchlight Pictures
For a lack of a more interesting term, one of the best ways to describe Fresh is that it’s certainly interesting. The cannibal horror film starts off with what seems like a love story between Edgar-Jones’ Noa and Sebastian Stan’s Steve. When Steve convinces Noa to come away with him over the weekend, the love story turns deadly. Nice Steve turns out to be a killer who likes to eat and sell human body parts to others.
Fresh is both disturbing and frightening without having to be a gore-filled jump-scare film. From psychological moments to cringe-worthy dances, the film has done a great job of making it hard to stop watching. Edgar-Jones and Stan’s chemistry helps make for an interesting dynamic between antagonist and protagonist. If you haven’t seen this yet, it’s a must-watch this spooky season.
2 Normal People
BBC Studios (UK) & Endeavor Content (international)
Normal People is another limited series that features Edgar-Jones. In this series, she plays Marianne who is from a small town in Ireland. In the show, her love interest is Connell, played by Paul Mescal, who was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal. The series follows the pair’s love story which is more of a mix of happy and sad periods. Their complex relationship stems from their completely separate upbringings.
Fans of the show find the characters compelling and easy to watch. Edgar-Jones’ character is more of an outcast while Connell is a popular kid that fits in with everyone. Throughout their story, the pair faces off against peer pressure, status differences, etc. to fight to end up together.
1 Where the Crawdads Sing
Sony Pictures Releasing
Where the Crawdads Sing is a touching story about an outsider nicknamed the Marsh Girl, who basically raised herself in the marshes of the deep South. This coming-of-age story highlights a murder trial and the bravery and strength of one girl, Kya Clark (Edgar-Jones). After her mother and siblings left her with an abusive and alcoholic father, who himself eventually left, Kya learned how to survive on her own. As both a love story and a bit of a crime-thriller, in terms of the murder trial Kya finds herself a part of, the film has something for everyone to enjoy.
Where the Crawdads Sing sparked only the beginning of what’s to come for the Hello Sunshine group. While it may not be the first adaptation of their book club’s novels, it was their most successful to date. From the stellar casting to staying truthful to the book, fans are definitely happy with how Where the Crawdads Sing turned out.
