Movies
6 ‘Pride & Prejudice’ Movie Secrets You Probably Didn’t Know
Almost 20 years have passed since Joe Wright‘s Pride & Prejudice was released. The Jane Austen period piece became an instant classic when it hit theaters on November 11, 2005.
Wright told Swooon that he was happy about the legacy he created with the 2005 adaptation. “It’s fun, isn’t it? It’s really nice. It’s really nice that it kind of seems to grow,” he said.
The romance movie was his feature directorial debut. “I’m very proud of it,” he happily admitted. The 52-year-old director added, “I’m very proud of all the people involved, Keira [Knightley], Matthew Macfadyen, Carey Mulligan, all those guys. It’s nice.”
Pride & Prejudice is a cultural masterpiece, and the fascinating aspects of the film aren’t just in front of the camera. Over the years, behind-the-scenes secrets have been revealed. Scroll down for Pride & Prejudice facts every fan needs to know.
1. Joe Wright wasn’t sure about Keira Knightley.
The Chanel ambassador’s looks almost made her lose the part of Elizabeth Bennett. When she was a guest on The Graham Norton Show, she explained, “Joe Wright… didn’t originally want me for Pride & Prejudice because I was too pretty.” Gasps filled the studio, and Knightley quickly followed it with, “And then he met me and said, ‘Oh no, you’re fine…’ We’ve been friends ever since.”
2. The 2005 film is not set in the Regency era.
Pride & Prejudice might be considered a Regency era classic, but Wright’s film did not take place during that period. History books have noted that the true Regency era only spanned between 1811 to 1820. The 2005 film takes place in 1797, the time when Austen wrote her original manuscript, which was then titled First Impressions. Wright deviates from other adaptations of the book. Most begin in 1813, the year the novel was revised and finalized.
3. The director had not read Pride & Prejudice before signing on.
Wright was able to make the world of Pride & Prejudice come to life onscreen in a gorgeous way, but before he was introduced to the novel in his professional life, he had never read the pages.
IndieWire asked Wright in 2005 why he had never read it, believing it was “compulsory reading for the English.” Wright replied, “I guess so. But since I’m dyslexic, I didn’t read any books at all when I was growing up.”
4. There were two different endings to the movie.
When testing the movie in the U.K., British audiences didn’t really love the sappy ending of the U.S. version. Often praised to be a more cinematic ending to the love story, the Brits got to see Elizabeth telling Mr. Bennett (Donald Sutherland) that she is engaged to Mr. Darcy (Macfadyen). Watching the two back-to-back, it’s clear that the U.S. version is the real winner, in our opinion.
5. Joe Wright told Dame Judi Dench that he loves it when she plays ‘a b*tch.’
Yes, you heard that right! Wright wrote a letter to Dame Judi Dench where he told the iconic actress that he loves the way she portrays “a b*tch.” The letter must have impressed the Shakespeare in Love star because she signed on to play Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
This snippet of information was passed along via the director’s cut DVD (Remember those, huh?). Wright confessed, “I wrote her a letter saying ‘I love it when you play a b*tch, please come and play a b*tch for me.’ And she succumbed.” Dench was also featured on the DVD and said, “I was pleased to be offered the part, and I wanted very much to work with Joe. He is 33 years old, and it’s very nice when you’re my age to be asked by somebody so young to do something for him. He has integrity.”
6. Rosamund Pike dated two people on the set.
Not only did Rosamund Pike, aka Jane Bennett, date Wright while filming was going on, but she was also involved with Simon Woods, who portrayed Jane’s lover, in the past. The former couple dated for two years when they attended the prestigious Oxford University. Despite their relationship not working out, Pike and Woods were fine playing opposite each other in the movie.
