Written over 200 years ago, Pride and Prejudice and its story of Elizabeth Bennet falling for Mr. Darcy has spawned repeated adaptations. But what about the lives of its other characters? They’ve been the subject of several fan-fiction spinoffs over the years. Turning the spotlight on a certain awkward middle sister is the BBC adaptation of Janice Hadlow’s bestselling book, The Other Bennet Sister. The story follows Lizzie’s bookish, much less sparky sister Mary as she takes a slightly awkward turn around the ballrooms of Regency London. Might there be more to life than marriage? Mary will soon find out. Meanwhile, bringing her to life is relative newcomer Ella Bruccoleri. How was she found, and how was the series cast? Let’s take a look.
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The Other Bennet Sister takes a minor character from Pride and Prejudice and gives her a big boost of main character energy. In this 10-part screen adaptation, the focus is on Mary and her relationships with her interfering mother (Ruth Jones), her oblivious father (Richard E. Grant), and her suitors (Laurie Davidson and Donal Finn). Hadlow’s book was adapted for TV by Sarah Quintrell, who told the BBC she was thrilled to be “exploring what it is to come of age when you’re the odd one out.… I can’t wait to bring this beautiful story to screen – not least for all the Marys out there.”
Charged with finding the cast for The Other Bennet Sister was top casting director Kahleen Crawford. She previously cast the series House of Guinness and SAS Rogue Heroes, as well as films including All of Us Strangers, Pillion, and The Lost Daughter. She knows her stuff.
Talking to Spotlight, she said she values preparation when it comes to auditions and likes actors to be off-book. She also said it pays to make sure the sound and lighting are OK when it comes to self-taping. Technical issues are off-putting.
She shared with the Casting Network her audition advice for young actors. “An idea to consider is that this is the start of a relationship, even when you think you’re not right for the part,” she says. “If you’re an orange, and even if you think that we need a banana, come in and be the best orange. Because one, we may choose to change it. And two, maybe somewhere else that’s what we need. So come in and do the very best version of what you have to offer.”
One top tip from Bruccoleri is to keep at it. She auditioned for drama school seven times before she got in. “If you believe in yourself, just trust that instinct,” she told Slick.
In an interview with Arts Emergency, she shared that she relied on charities to afford to attend drama school. “I wouldn’t have been able to go if it wasn’t for the help I received,” she says. “The industry often has the feel of only being accessible to those who come from acting families or who have prior connections. It is unfairly slanted in their favour; that’s definitely true. But please don’t let this stop you.... Reach out to people like me, who have walked a similar path and are navigating the industry. We all need to help each other!”
Bruccoleri auditioned for Mary not only in The Other Bennet Sister, but also in the new Netflix Pride and Prejudice adaptation coming this autumn. “The Dolly Alderton one said, ‘Oh, she’s not really a Mary’,” she told the Times. How wrong they were.
It was the “other” Mary she really wanted, she told the Radio Times. “I was reading my script on the tube, and a girl said to me, ‘I auditioned for that months ago. They’ve seen everyone.’ I was really emotional about it. I was worried that if I didn’t get it, I would really struggle.” Luckily, there was an even bigger take on Mary waiting for her.
A second season of The Other Bennet Sister is yet to be announced, but it also hasn’t been ruled out. That means there’s every hope of it returning. Keep an eye on casting pages for audition notices and familiarise yourself with the below guides to ensure that you’re ready if and when it does.