interview | ella bruccoleri

How do you step into the shoes of someone who, for centuries, has been overlooked? It’s a task Ella Bruccoleri approaches with a studious vigour that would have made Mary Bennett – the titular character of the aptly named period drama ‘The Other Bennet Sister’, a companion piece to Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’, – proud. In Bruccoleri’s hands, Mary is no longer the sidelined, one-dimensional figure created by Austen, but a fully realised heroine brought into sharper focus. The series, based on Janice Hadlow’s novel of the same name, has steadily captured audiences’ attention, becoming the BBC’s biggest drama launch of the past 12 months. Part of its appeal lies in how Mary, despite her Austen-era origins, feels unexpectedly contemporary: a non-typical period heroine who is, at times, disarmingly relatable, learning to take up space in a world that has long written her out of it. The show’s success, and the ease with which Mary resonates with a modern audience, is no mean feat, made all the more striking given that this marks her first time at the top of the call sheet. In conversation with Schön!, she reflects on bringing Mary Bennett to life, from reimagining a character... Read more » The post interview | ella bruccoleri appeared first on Schön! Magazine.