Post by CrazyGirl on Jun 13, 2004 13:48:42 GMT -5
Modern men make the search for Mr Darcy a struggle
The perpetual adolescence of the 21st century male made casting Mr Darcy in a big-screen adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice - the first since Laurence Olivier took the role in 1960 - a uniquely difficult task, its producers said yesterday.
It took Working Title, the British company behind Four Weddings and a Funeral, eight months - and auditions for more than 100 actors - before it settled on Matthew Macfadyen, the 29-year-old star of the TV spy drama Spooks.
He will star opposite Keira Knightley, as Elizabeth Bennet. The former Bond girl Rosamunde Pike will play her older sister Jane.
The process reflected the difficulty of finding an actor who combined the necessary personal qualities with the young age specified by Austen, said the film's co-producer Paul Webster.
"Mr Darcy is very much a man's man," he added. "I don't think they make them like that any more - men don't become men these days until 35.
"Matthew is a big guy, lovely, macho and - I have to say - very sensitive, but he has a great power and ability to control the screen."
The bodice-loosening effect of Colin Firth's performances in the role - in the BBC's 1994 production and in film of Bridget Jones's Diary - was also an intimidating influence. "It was a long process to find our Darcy," said Mr Webster.
Two other names touted for the role, Jude Law and Orlando Bloom, were "unavailable". Knightley was, however, easier to cast: "Our first and only choice . . . we loved her from the start".
Knightley is 19, a year younger than her character, Macfadyen is a year older than his and Elizabeth's sisters have been cast young.
"We're sick and tired of period dramas about first love but which feature actors in their late twenties or early thirties," said Mr Webster.
Was Firth too old, then? "I wouldn't say too old, because it was obviously a very successful piece of casting - but we're trying to look for something fresher, younger, more realistic."
Elizabeth's younger sisters Kitty and Mary are played by two unknowns, Carey Mulligan, fresh from her A-Levels, and Tallulah Reily. The American actress Jena Malone will play the fifth Bennet sister, Lydia.
Mr Webster said an emphasis of the film would be its truth to life. Jenny Uglow, a scholar on the 19th century, will be a consultant and the script has been written by Deborah Moggach, the author of Tulip Fever.
Chatsworth, the Derbyshire seat of the Dukes of Devonshire, will be the location for Darcy's home, Pemberley.
Filming is due to start mid-July.
The perpetual adolescence of the 21st century male made casting Mr Darcy in a big-screen adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice - the first since Laurence Olivier took the role in 1960 - a uniquely difficult task, its producers said yesterday.
It took Working Title, the British company behind Four Weddings and a Funeral, eight months - and auditions for more than 100 actors - before it settled on Matthew Macfadyen, the 29-year-old star of the TV spy drama Spooks.
He will star opposite Keira Knightley, as Elizabeth Bennet. The former Bond girl Rosamunde Pike will play her older sister Jane.
The process reflected the difficulty of finding an actor who combined the necessary personal qualities with the young age specified by Austen, said the film's co-producer Paul Webster.
"Mr Darcy is very much a man's man," he added. "I don't think they make them like that any more - men don't become men these days until 35.
"Matthew is a big guy, lovely, macho and - I have to say - very sensitive, but he has a great power and ability to control the screen."
The bodice-loosening effect of Colin Firth's performances in the role - in the BBC's 1994 production and in film of Bridget Jones's Diary - was also an intimidating influence. "It was a long process to find our Darcy," said Mr Webster.
Two other names touted for the role, Jude Law and Orlando Bloom, were "unavailable". Knightley was, however, easier to cast: "Our first and only choice . . . we loved her from the start".
Knightley is 19, a year younger than her character, Macfadyen is a year older than his and Elizabeth's sisters have been cast young.
"We're sick and tired of period dramas about first love but which feature actors in their late twenties or early thirties," said Mr Webster.
Was Firth too old, then? "I wouldn't say too old, because it was obviously a very successful piece of casting - but we're trying to look for something fresher, younger, more realistic."
Elizabeth's younger sisters Kitty and Mary are played by two unknowns, Carey Mulligan, fresh from her A-Levels, and Tallulah Reily. The American actress Jena Malone will play the fifth Bennet sister, Lydia.
Mr Webster said an emphasis of the film would be its truth to life. Jenny Uglow, a scholar on the 19th century, will be a consultant and the script has been written by Deborah Moggach, the author of Tulip Fever.
Chatsworth, the Derbyshire seat of the Dukes of Devonshire, will be the location for Darcy's home, Pemberley.
Filming is due to start mid-July.