Who Cares About Pride And Prejudice’s New Darcy? Austen Knew He Was Never The Real Romantic Lead

When it comes to film adaptations of beloved books, protective fans are rarely happy with the casting.

For instance, Saltburn director Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights, which stars Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie, has been criticised; some say the actors are of the wrong age and that Heathcliff has been “whitewashed”.

But the casting of Dolly Alderton’s upcoming Pride And Prejudice series which sees Olivia Colman play Mrs Bennet (fans see this as “perfect”) and Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennet, has irked some Austen lovers for a different reason.

They are simply too attached to “their” Darcy.

One fan wrote that the 2005 version, which includes Matthew MacFayden as Darcy and Kiera Knightley as Elizabeth, is the “only” one for them.

I’ll admit my knee-jerk response was to think “But who can play Darcy like Colin Firth?”, the actor whose 1995 BBC role inspired Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding to create her version of the “well market-researched” character.

That loyalty left some irate at Jack Lowden’s casting. But let’s be honest with ourselves (and true to the books) here – does Darcy even matter? After all, his home is the real love affair.

Colin Firth as Mark Darcy in the BBC pond scene (again!)
Colin Firth as Mark Darcy in the BBC pond scene (again!)

As Helen Fielding, who adapted the novel for Bridget Jones, says: “I always think it’s rather funny that the point at which Elizabeth Bennet really decides she liked Mr Darcy was when she saw his great big house in the country.”

Indeed a tongue-in-cheek Austen, who never ignores the material considerations of women’s marital arrangements, only explicitly says Elizabeth feels “something very like regret” for turning Darcy’s initial proposal down after she visits Pemblerley and muses: “Of this place, I might have been mistress!

“With these rooms I might now have been familiarly acquainted! Instead of viewing them as a stranger, I might have rejoiced in them as my own…”

And when asked by her sister when, exactly, she realised she loved her previous nemesis Darcy, Elizabeth replies: “It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began; but I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley.”

Kiera Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet in Pemberley (Chatsworth House)
Kiera Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet in Pemberley (Chatsworth House)

Focus Features, Universal Pictures, United International Pictures, Bac Films

A 2023 comment from economist Peter Kenway in The Guardian suggests that Lizzie’s practical attitude might be uniquely relevant to viewers today.

He claimed we could soon see a “Jane Austen-style marriage market, as millennials without an inheritance try to partner up with millennials who stand to inherit a house” – indeed house prices haven’t been as high relative to wages since the 1800s (the author penned her classic in 1787, but it came out in 1813).

Speaking to HuffPost UK recently, couples and sex therapist Emily Lambert Robins said that the housing crisis might be to blame for our endless “situationships” too.

“Lack of space means fewer chances to cook for someone, watch movies, or simply exist together without pressure,” she told us.

“These experiences are where emotional intimacy often grows. Without them, connections can stall at the surface.”

So, instead of attaching ourselves to “our” Darcy, maybe newer viewers will find themselves loyal to the locations instead (2005′s Pemberley was shot in the grand Chatsworth House; 1995′s exterior was Lyme Park).

Here’s hoping the house in the upcoming Netflix version is just as dishy…

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Hugh Grant And Colin Firth Had Company From An Unlikely Star During Bridget Jones Fight Scene

Hugh Grant and Colin Firth had some company from an unlikely star as they filmed their famous fight scene in Bridget Jones’ Diary.

Sally Phillips, who played Shazza opposite Renée Zellweger as Bridget, has revealed that Jim Carrey watched on as the pair fought in character as Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver. 

Ahead of the film’s 20th anniversary, Sally appeared on Friday’s edition of Lorraine, where she recounted Hugh and Colin filming the scene. 

Justin Goff via Getty Images

Bridget Jones’ Diary stars Colin Firth, Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant 

She said: “This is them improvising… slapping each other, trying to kick and missing.

“We filmed this scene for a whole week. As you can see we’re not in it very much so we sat in deck chairs and watched Hugh and Colin slap each other for a week.”

Sally then revealed: “And Jim Carrey was there. Renée was dating Jim at that point.

“So he was bigger and taller and harder and fitter than both of them, so I think they were even more embarrassed.”

Ron Galella, Ltd. via Getty Images

Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger dated in the early 2000s

During the interview, Sally also told of how strange it was for her to see Renée, who is from Texas, finally breaking out of her English accent at the end of the shoot, joking she felt “deceived and weirded out”. 

“It was really weird,” she said. “I’ve made quite good friends with her during the filming, I realised towards the end when she suddenly lost a stone in the last week and started talking in a Texan accent at the wrap party, I’d made friends with Bridget, not Renée.

“I felt like those women must feel who’ve had a relationship with an undercover cop, a bit deceived and weirded out. But I think it was genius actually (to cast her).”

Moviestore/Shutterstock

Sally Phillips played Bridget’s friend Shazza in the film

Sally continued: “There were lots of people up for that part, like Toni Collette I think was offered it.

“Once They got Hugh Grant and Colin Firth on board it went from being a tiny indie movie to a massive production and they started looking for big stars.

“American women do do charm in a way British women don’t, we have a kind of bottom note of battleaxe that we can never quite get rid of and I love that about us.”

Lorraine airs weekdays at 9am on ITV. 

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