Ella Bruccoleri’s Untold Insights on Playing Mary Bennet in ‘The Other Bennet Sister’: From the Challenges of a Shy Girl to Hopes for Season Two
According to the CinemaDrame News Agency, Ella Bruccoleri might currently be playing one of television’s most famous Bennet sisters, but she hasn’t always been a die-hard Jane Austen fan. Bruccoleri read the novel Pride and Prejudice for the very first time while preparing to take on the lead role in the BBC’s new drama The Other Bennet Sister—a series penned by Sarah Quintrell and adapted from Janice Hadlow’s best-selling novel of the same name. By portraying Mary Bennet (the younger, isolated, and introverted sister of Elizabeth Bennet), she sought to bring to life a Regency-era coming-of-age story centered on female self-worth and independence.
“We wanted to make a piece of work that if Jane Austen was around now, she would really enjoy and think was faithful to the spirit and purpose of her story,” Bruccoleri told Variety.
Mary’s story, having always been overshadowed by her livelier sisters and subject to her mother’s dismissive gaze, takes a turn following her father’s death when she relocates to London to care for her relatives’ children. In London, she meets a kind lawyer named Tom Hayward, sparking a deep bond between them. However, the presence of a charming but rakish man named Mr. Ryder, alongside the persistent snobbery of Caroline Bingley, complicates this romantic path with numerous misunderstandings. Despite these obstacles, Mary achieves such intellectual maturity and independence over the course of the first season that she ultimately embraces Tom’s genuine affection, ending the season with their engagement.
The series, which originally aired on the BBC before making its way to BritBox, achieved resounding success, smashing viewership records for the streaming platform. Following this triumphant reception, it was announced that a three-part Christmas special is officially in development.
Reflecting on the nuances of her performance, including Mary’s habit of picking at the skin around her thumb during moments of anxiety, Bruccoleri noted: “That was written into the script, and I loved it. My makeup designer would use small prosthetic pieces every day to make the area around my nails look red and inflamed. We tracked Mary’s emotional healing throughout the storyline so that this habit would gradually fade away. Furthermore, both Mary and Tom wearing spectacles in the final romantic scene was entirely intentional; we wanted to show that they didn’t need to change their appearance, and that they were attractive to one another precisely because of their unique intellect and shared love of reading.”
Discussing her most challenging and rewarding scenes, she added: “The confrontation sequence between Mary and her mother was deeply satisfying for me. Mary finally reached a point where she no longer sought her mother’s external validation and learned to trust her own judgments. On the other hand, filming the boating scene on the frozen lake was incredibly funny but difficult; the weather was brutally cold, and one of the actors even lost his prosthetic sideburns in the water!”
As for the future of Mary and Tom, Bruccoleri shared her hopes: “I think they will have a very progressive, equal, and modern relationship for that era, one where they prioritize each other’s happiness. Mary will likely continue her work in education, and I’d like to think she will eventually write a book about her experiences, enjoying an artistic and liberated life in London.”
