Keeley Hawes on sisterly love and feminism in BBC's 'Miss Austen'
A new period drama based around a little-known era of Jane Austen’s life is set to air on the BBC this February.
Miss Austen, based on Gill Hornby’s best-selling book of the same name, observes the mystery as to why Cassandra Austen infamously chose to burn her sister Jane Austen’s letters – a move that many historians and literary experts have lamented over the years - some even choosing to call it an act of 'cultural vandalism'. Hornby used this enigma as a compelling plot device, reimagining the story as a lively yet heart-breaking tale of sisterly love.
Miss Austen stars Keeley Hawes as Cassandra, who races to see her young friend Isabella (played by Rose Leslie) after learning that she is set to lose her house after her father's death. While she is there to help Isabella, Cassandra has her own hidden agenda – to uncover private correspondence from her sister Jane, which she fears have the potential to ruin Jane’s legacy.
Upon finding the hidden bundle of letters, Cassandra finds herself transported back to her youth. Told through a sequence of flashbacks, young Cassy (Synnøve Karlsen) and Jane (Patsy Ferran) are then seen to navigate the numerous romances, family fall-outs and dashed hopes which shaped their lives – and served as the inspiration for Austen’s unforgettable portfolio of work.
It's a powerful portrayal of sisterly love, Keeley Hawes explains to Harper's Bazaar and other publication at a press day promoting Miss Austen.
“When I received the script, I had been sort of hoping for something like this – I was interested in doing something about love, and this is a story about love in all its forms: sisterly love, romantic love and unrequited love,” she said.“Women are [often] pitted against each other, and I think this is quite unique in that it’s a celebration of women being there for each other. Usually, it’s romantic love that is the be-all and end-all in most stories about love, but actually, this is quite unusual in that it is the sisterly love that wins out.”
Hawes added that the bond between Cassy and Jane is “quite extraordinary.”
“They’re almost like twins, I think. They slept in the same bed, they were very, very close. Cassandra was a brilliant sister to Jane,” she explained. “I think she did quite a brilliant thing getting rid of anything that was distracting from [Jane’s] work, which is, I believe, the reason for [burning the letters].
“I know a lot of Austen fans feel it was an act of cultural vandalism, but Cassandra couldn’t possibly have known about the world we live in now, where everybody wants to know everyone’s innermost thoughts at every second of the day. To look after her legacy in the way that she did, I think it’s the greatest act of love.”
Miss Austen
And the close bond between Jane and Cassy on-screen was aided by the cast's genuine close friendships off-camera.
“We had a sort of little sisterhood of our own, which is so lovely. I absolutely loved going into work every day because of the bond that we all created,” Hawes said.
“With TV, mostly you turn up, you rehearse once in the room and then before you know it, you’re shooting. Quite often, people will then go back to their room for some quiet time, but in this instance, everyone was together in the green room and we’d all be chatting and getting to know each other.
“This was a job where we all sat around, running our lines, having a natter and actually getting to know each other. When I look back over my career, I’ve had some of the best times ever working with some incredible actors and if I’d been sat there on my phone, I wouldn’t have had those experiences with [actors like] Maggie Smith. Being together on set every day for lots and lots of hours – that’s a big part of creating a show together, and I think it does translate to the screen.”
The four-part series has been adapted for the small-screen by the BAFTA-winning writer Andrea Gibb, who previously worked on BBC One’s Elizabeth is Missing. It also stars Downton Abbey's Phyllis Logan; How to Get Away with Murder star Alfred Enoch; Bridgerton's Calam Lynch; and Max Irons, best known for his roles in Condor and The Riot Club.
Miss Austen debuts on Sunday 2nd February at 9.05pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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