Daisy Edgar-Jones had one important question after being cast as Elinor Dashwood in the new film adaptation of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility": who would play her younger sister, Marianne?
A longtime Austen fan, Edgar-Jones had read all the author's novels and watched as many adaptations as possible. She now stars as the sensible elder sister in the new film, which opens in theatres Friday. Directed by Georgia Oakley, it is the first major film adaptation of "Sense and Sensibility" directed by a woman.
For Edgar-Jones, however, finding the right actress to play Marianne was just as important as landing the role herself. The film also features George MacKay, Frank Dillane and Herbert Nordrum.
"The film, as I saw it, would kind of live or die by the relationship between those two actors," Oakley said, recalling the challenge of finding actresses who could convincingly portray sisters.
The search led to Esmé Creed-Miles, who already had a history with Edgar-Jones. The two actresses had spent a summer in Yorkshire as teenagers while filming the independent movie "Pond Life" and watching the reality show "Love Island" together.
Edgar-Jones said their shared experiences helped them quickly connect with their characters.
Their chemistry became clear during an audition session in which they performed challenging scenes, including one where Elinor finally tells Marianne that she is also heartbroken over a man.
Creed-Miles said Edgar-Jones felt like family to her, adding that they felt deeply connected to the characters.
Their off-screen friendship also impressed Oakley. During the audition session, Creed-Miles even ate some of Edgar-Jones' lunch while waiting for her turn.
Oakley said their natural humour and playful exchanges immediately reminded her of the relationship between Elinor and Marianne.
Creed-Miles, whose parents are actors Samantha Morton and Charlie Creed-Miles, began acting at the age of six in a Harmony Korine film. She later starred in the Amazon Prime series "Hanna" but has explored interests beyond acting.
Her other pursuits include photography, music and filmmaking. Her photographs from the set have appeared in "Vogue", while she is also a member of the alternative rock band Cusk and has directed a short film.
She was particularly interested in working with Oakley, whose debut film "Blue Jean" follows a closeted gym teacher in England in the late 1980s.
Oakley said she was drawn to Austen's ability to explore complex and challenging themes without presenting her work as an explicit political statement.
A more natural look at the Regency era
The new film tells the story of the Dashwood family, four women who must rebuild their lives after losing their fortune. Caitríona Balfe plays their mother, while Bodhi Rae Breathnach portrays the youngest sister.
Oakley wanted to move away from the polished appearance often associated with period dramas set during the Regency era. Instead, she aimed to present the characters as more natural and relatable.
To develop the film's visual style, she drew inspiration from Andrea Arnold's "Wuthering Heights" and Kelly Reichardt's "Meek's Cutoff". She also created playlists featuring violin music and referenced dresses marked with raspberry stains and soil.
Oakley said she wanted audiences to feel close to the characters rather than view them from a distance. The family's difficult circumstances, she explained, meant they would not always be concerned about their appearance or how others perceived them.
Edgar-Jones welcomed the approach, saying she had not seen an Austen adaptation presented in this way before.
Creed-Miles said the film was not intended to reject traditional Regency-era hairstyles or makeup. Instead, it sought to explore aspects of the women's inner lives that had not been fully shown in earlier screen adaptations.
Working on the film also deepened her appreciation of Austen's work.
Creed-Miles said the two actresses' different levels of familiarity with the author could help make the film appealing to a wider audience, including people who had never read Austen's novels.
She hopes the adaptation will introduce a new generation of viewers to the author and her characters.