Daisy Edgar-Jones prepared to play Elinor Dashwood in the new “Sense and Sensibility” partly by listening to Dolly Parton, and she says the country star’s music fits Jane Austen’s most disciplined heroine better than it might seem.
Edgar-Jones shared a playlist for the film that runs from Billie Holiday and Minnie Riperton to newer artists such as Alice Phoebe Lou, Julia Jacklin and Jessica Pratt, with Parton on the list, Variety reported. The Parton pick is “Here You Come Again,” which Edgar-Jones used to belt out in the car on the way home from school. She said she could picture Elinor singing it around her bedroom at Barton Cottage.
The image suits a character defined by restraint. Edgar-Jones said she enjoys playing people with a deep well inside that others overlook, and described Elinor as strong, with emotion she has learned to button up. She added that she liked watching the character grow more comfortable with a wilder side of herself. Her connection to the material began early. Her mother handed her all of Austen’s novels at a formative age, and she read them in one go.
Georgia Oakley directs the Focus Features and Working Title adaptation from a script by Diana Reid. Esmé Creed-Miles plays Marianne, with George MacKay as Edward Ferrars, Caitríona Balfe as Mrs. Dashwood and Fiona Shaw as Mrs. Jennings. The cast turned out for a Los Angeles premiere Oct. 7.
The film arrives in the shadow of a famous version. Ang Lee’s 1995 adaptation starred Emma Thompson as Elinor and Kate Winslet as Marianne. Edgar-Jones, who broke out in “Normal People” in 2020, has since led “Where the Crawdads Sing” and “Twisters.”
Early reaction splits. One review credited Edgar-Jones and MacKay with making repression seem sexy through restraint. An author previewing the film wrote that its naturalistic style has drawn praise for Edgar-Jones, while some critics argue the take on Marianne drifts from Austen’s intent by pushing her to a supporting role.
