Alison Oliver absolutely loved NORMAL PEOPLE. The TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s sophomore novel with its emotionally earnest performances and charged sexual energy felt like a “revelation” to the twenty-something actor, who agrees that the hit series was much more than just the sum of its parts. Given the meteoric success of its predecessor, the bar is already set quite high for the new Element Pictures’ production. While CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS is indeed a “cousin, that shares an aesthetic tone” with NORMAL PEOPLE, it is an entirely separate story, says Oliver.