Sense and Sensibility: What It's About And Where You've Seen The Cast Before
Time to cozy up and settle in for some good old-fashioned yearning because Jane Austen is returning to cinemas this month for a gorgeous and already critically acclaimed adaptation of Sense and Sensibility.
This is the eighth screen take on the 200-year-old novel overall and the first feature length version since Emma Thompson and Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning classic 31 years ago.
First published in 1811, the story follows the loves and longings of Elinore and Marianne Dashwood, a pair of disparate but loving siblings who move to a small cottage in Devonshire with their mother and younger sister, Margaret, after their father decides, on his deathbed, to leave his entire estate to their half-brother John — classic.
At first, John promises to take care of them, but he’s soon convinced by his wife, Fanny, to leave his half-siblings high and dry. As the story progresses, Elinore falls in love with Fanny’s kindly brother, Edward Ferrars, while Marianne is swept off her feet by the rakish John Willoughby — that is, after a more introverted suitor named Colonel Brandon falters. Each in their own way, the two women gradually begin to face up to the fact that their father’s dying decision has left them without a leg to stand on in terms of marriage eligibility — the question is, will it ultimately matter?
This gorgeous new interpretation is the sophomore feature of Georgia Oakley, a British filmmaker who broke out of the Venice Film Festival in 2022 with Blue Jean — a queer romance set in 1980s Newcastle that, looking back, has actually set her up perfectly for adapting Austen’s yearning masterpiece. Oakley’s Sense and Sensibility is perfectly faithful to the text while also feeling quite contemporary in terms of vibe. It’s luscious looking, perfectly moving, often quite funny, and the performances are excellent across the board. Here’s where you’ve seen the cast before.
Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinore Dashwood
Daisy Edgar-Jones is so perfectly cast as Elinore Dashwood in this movie that it’s kind of shocking how rarely she’s worked in period dramas before. Edgar-Jones, of course, became an absolute sensation in 2021 after her pitch-perfect turn as Marianne, the furrowed-brow bae to Paul Mescal’s Connell, in the BBC/RTE adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People, and the actress has only gone from strength to strength since then.
Along with starring in the West End production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 2024, she has made the move into Hollywood look relatively easy thanks to starring turns in Twisters, Fresh, and Where the Crawdads Sing — three extremely different kinds of romantic stories. Look out for her next year opposite Robert Pattinson and Denzel Washington in the Netflix heist movie Here Comes the Flood.
George MacKay as Edward Ferrars
When George MacKay gets mistaken for Harris Dickinson, it’s usually as much to do with the actors’ visual similarities as it is their eclectic choices. Indeed, looking over both their back catalogues, it’s hard to say who’s been the most adventurous.
MacKay is probably best known for his starring turn as a WWI soldier on a mission in Sam Mendes’ 1917, but cinephiles have been enjoying his more left-field turns (in auteur projects like The Beast, The End and the recent Rose of Nevada) for years.
MacKay first broke out from the 2013 Proclaimers musical Sunshine on Leith and the 2014 queer drama Pride, a rousing account of the ‘80s miners’ strike. For Sense and Sensibility, MacKay gives a perfectly lovable turn as Edward Ferrars — and crucially, his chemistry with Edgar-Jones is to die for.
Esmé Creed-Miles as Marianne Dashwood
The closest thing to a discovery in the main cast of Sense and Sensibility is Esmé Creed-Miles, whose performance as Marianne is one of the main reasons why this new adaptation feels so current and fresh.
Creed-Miles (who is the daughter of The Odyssey MVP Samantha Morton) actually got her first role at seven years of age when she was cast to play a young Shirley Temple in Harmony Korine’s bizarre cult classic Mr. Nobody. A decade later, she led the line in the movie adaptation of Richard Cameron’s Pond Life — which also happened to be the big-screen debut of a young Daisy Edgar-Jones.
If you know Creed-Miles for anything, it's likely for playing the title role in the Prime series Hanna, a remake of a 2011 film about a girl assassin (who was originally played by Saoirse Ronan). Look out for Creed-Miles next year in Panos Cosmatos’ characteristically crazy sounding Flesh of the Gods.
Frank Dillane as John Willoughby
Similar to Creed-Miles, up and coming actor (and fellow lowkey nepo-baby) Frank Dillane brings a solid splash of 21st century London to this adaptation of Austen's 200-year-old novel — which we mean as a compliment.
Dillane plays the dastardly John Willoughby with the kind of sleepy charm that fans of ‘00s-era Pete Doherty will find quite familiar. Dillane already brought this particular vibe to Harris Dickinson’s (him again) acclaimed directorial debut Urchin last year — a performance that even won him an acting award in Cannes.
Dillane is probably still best known for his four-season arc as Nick Clark in Fear the Walking Dead and for playing the young Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
Herbert Nordrum as Colonel Brandon
Fans of Nordic romantic comedies rejoice: Worst Person in the World heartthrob Herbert Nordrum has officially made the jump to period romance thanks to this wonderfully bearded turn as Colonel Brandon — Marianne’s quietly brooding suitor.
The tall, dark, handsome Norwegian has been popping up in interesting places since lighting up the screen with Renate Reinsve in Joachim Trier's Oscar-nominated movie — first as the lead in the off-beat Swedish comedy Hypnosis, then as a goofy Norwegian backpacker in the Julia Garner-starring thriller, The Royal Hotel.
Sense and Sensibility is his most prominent role since working with Trier. Something tells us there is much more to come.
Fiona Shaw as Mrs. Jennings
After four decades in the industry, Fiona Shaw needs no introduction, but while we’re here, we may as well — not least since her absolute heater of a performance as Mrs. Jennings is probably the number one reason to see this movie.
Shaw gained recognition in the early '90s as a Shakespearean stage actress while appearing in screen adaptations of classic novels like Jane Eyre and Anna Karenina. Then, in the early '00s, she discovered a whole new level of stardom thanks to her iconic portrayals of Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter series.
More recently, Shaw has only added to her legend with her phenomenal performances in Killing Eve, Bad Sisters, and Andor, all of which led to a long overdue appearance on The Simpsons last year. A national treasure in Ireland, if ever there was one.
Caitríona Balfe as Mrs. Dashwood
Caitríona Balfe is an actress I can pretty much guarantee you’ve already fallen in love with at some point in your life, even if the name doesn’t quite ring a bell. Before this impeccable turn as Mrs. Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, Balfe brought miraculous levels of no nonsense warmth to both Belfast (as the “Ma”) and Ford v Ferrari (as the wife of Christian Bale’s racecar driver Ken Miles).
Of course, for any fans of the Outlander universe, Balfe will always be associated with the character Claire Fraser, who she played for 101 episodes on the long-running historical fantasy show.
We look forward to her performance as Queen Arianna in the upcoming Tangled live-action remake with much anticipation indeed.
Bodhi Rae Breathnach as Margaret Dashwood
Freckled and ethereal, Bodhi Rae Breathnach has one of those faces that’s just impossible to forget — which is probably why, after seeing her as Margaret Dashwood here, you’ll immediately recall her incredible turn in Hamnet last year as titular character’s older sister.
Still in her mid-teens, Breathnach is very new to the industry, but she already has two prestige projects under her belt as well as the Jason Statham action movie Shelter — now that’s what we call range.
Make sure to look out for her in Robert Eggers’ Werwulf later in the year.
Stacy Martin as Fanny Dashwood
Seeing Stacy Martin sink her teeth into the role of the villainous Fanny Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility got me wondering why no other filmmakers have asked her to play someone this nasty before.
Sure, Martin got her break with Lars Von Trier’s decidedly dark Nymphomaniac before moving on to work with similarly provocative directors like Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) and Mona Fastvold (The Testament of Ann Lee), but this is really the first cartoony antagonist she’s got to play. Let’s hope it’s not the last.
Turlough Convery as Sir John Middleton
We can’t wrap this thing up without at least a mention of Turlough Convery, who brings a typically boisterous kind of charisma to his turn here as Mrs. Jenning’s son-in-law, Sir. John Middleton — marking the actor’s screen reunion with Fiona Shaw after their collaborations on Killing Eve.
Outside of that, you’ll know his face from the White Christmas episode of Black Mirror, for playing Lord Mooton on House of the Dragon, or for his recent turns as Benjamin Cleveland in the final season of Outlander.
