In the new BritBox Exclusive and Original Series The Other Bennet Sister, premiering on Wednesday, May 6th in North America, Ella Bruccoleri stars as one of literature’s most unsung, unheralded, and misunderstood characters.
Bruccoleri plays Mary Bennet, one of the fabled Bennet sisters from Jane Austen’s timeless classic Pride & Prejudice. Ever the middle child, Mary Bennet was always the black sheep of the family, with a studious nature, spectacles, and a strong willed nature. Never as pretty or witty as her sisters, Mary’s mother (played by Ruth Jones) fears she will never marry and is destined for the life of a governess.
Set years after the events of Austen’s original novel left off and using the work of novelist Janice Hadlow as its basis, The Other Bennet Sister tells what happened when Mary made a fruitful and formative trip to London, leaving her old life in Longbourne behind to stay with her aunt (Indira Varma) and uncle (Richard Coyle), Mr. and Mrs. Gardner. There to teach the Gardner’s trio of children, she develops close personal friendships with Mr. Tom Hayward (Dónal Finn) and Mr. William Ryder (Laurie Davidson). Tom is a kind, gregarious, and giving soul, but despite a natural attraction and chemistry with Mary, he’s sadly promised to another. William is an energetic, free thinking, adventurous type of person whose progressive (and non-committal) way of thinking catches Mary off guard. Between her ongoing struggles with her domineering mother and adjusting to a city where she can finally be herself, Mary develops feelings for both men, while still wondering if she needs a companion to lead a fulfilling life.
We had the pleasure of chatting with Bruccoleri, Finn, and Davidson from New York during the show’s North American junket to talk about their characters and their part in a broader literary and storytelling tradition.
The first three episodes of The Other Bennet Sister premiere in North American exclusively on BritBox starting Wednesday, May 6, with new episodes following weekly.
