Joe Alwyn's turn in "Conversations with Friends" was an important moment in his career. Afterall, the previous Sally Rooney adaptation, "Normal People," gave its stars — actors Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal — instant household name status. Apparently, Alwyn got the part thanks to Rooney herself, who had the power to veto actors for the lead roles. "She was involved in casting and watching tapes," Alwyn told The Guardian. 

To say thank you for giving him a shot at the character of Nick in the show, Alwyn had planned to meet up with Rooney in Dublin during the shoot. However, he had to say thank you in an email when his plans changed. Of course, Rooney's third book, "Beautiful World, Where Are You?" contains a lot of emails. ​"She does a good email," Alwyn said. In fact, he had been so nervous to email her, he had to do "many, many drafts." "I did my best email," he said. "It just felt really nice to have her blessing."