It was a Thursday night, and I was tucked into bed, ready to fall asleep when my phone buzzed. It was my book club group chat dropping the news that Netflix had announced casting for the Pride and Prejudice limited series going into production later this year. NGL: When I saw that Emma Corrin, talented though they are, was cast as my beloved Elizabeth Bennet, my heart sank a little bit.
I'm Sorry, But IDK How I Feel About Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennet in the New 'Pride and Prejudice' Series
my book club and reddit concur
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Published Apr 16, 2025
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Pride and Prejudice Is Everything to Me
Let me lay the groundwork first and say that I am an Austenite through and through. And in 2025, there's no better time to be one. It's simultaneously the 250th anniversary of the author's birth as well as the 20th anniversary and celebratory re-release of the 2005 adaptation. (I stand by what I said: Keira Knightley was a better Lizzie Bennet than Jennifer Ehle.)
I've personally read all of Austen's works except Mansfield Park (I'll come around eventually), visited Bath—the town in which she once resided and often wrote about—and have read Pride and Prejudice 20 times. My book club will be reading it again this year to coincide with Austen's birthday (December 16), and we're dedicating the last half of the year to only reading her work and the authors who inspired her.
We're Unanimous in Our Trepidation
Admittedly, I don't know Corrin's work well, having only seen a few clips of them and co-star Olivia Coleman, cast to play Mrs. Bennet, in The Crown, in addition to their role as Anna Harding in Nosferatu. That they are a good actor, I don't dispute. It's the particular casting as Elizabeth that has me, my book club and Reddit puzzled.
"I'm not sure how I feel about [Corrin]," one of the most dedicated book club members (and fellow Austenite) wrote immediately. "Emma was good as Diana in The Crown but I'm not sure about Lizzy." Two others, including an English lit major, chimed in, saying they felt the same way.
Marissa Wu
For me, and everyone else, it seems, it ultimately came down not to the actor's ability but the look. Remember when Dakota Johnson was criticized for having "iPhone face" in Netflix's 2022 adaptation of Persuasion? It's like that. A) Corrin looks like they know the internet exists and B) not to ding my heroine, but Lizzy Bennet was NOT the beautiful sister in this story. While flatteringly portrayed (for her big, dark eyes, notably), it's her older sister Jane who was written to portray the period's ideals of "classic" beauty. Honestly, as I write this, Corrin gives me more Jane vibes, in the way Rosamund Pike did in the 2005 film.
Mr. Darcy Looks Like a Puppy and That's Just Wrong
The other qualm we have is that Jack Lowden (Slow Horses) does NOT feel right cast as Mr. Darcy. In the nicest way possible, he looks like a golden retriever. Or maybe a cat, à la Joe Alwyn. If you've read Pride and Prejudice or even understand the Darcy trope, you know the dude is aloof as hell, brooding, awkward, stiff. Lowden's naturally downturned eyes just make him look...sad. He's not intimidating a lady, sorry.
Please, Olivia Coleman, Save This
I concur with my friends from book club that Coleman feels like Catherine de Bourgh. But Reddit seems sure that if any casting decision was a good bet, it was her as Elizabeth's garrulous, paroxysm-prone mother. I've long thought that Mrs. Bennet, silly as she is, has been the most underrated and revolutionary character of the novel. If anyone can do her true justice, I'll trust this Academy Award winner to do it.
I do think that we're beating the dead horse here—after the epic BBC miniseries and Joe Wright's cinematic masterpiece, I don't really think there's much new to do with the work. But as long as the cast can deliver the iconic lines about boiled potatoes, being 27 with no prospects and an unforgettable marriage proposal...I suppose you'll catch me (and my book club) on the couch when it premieres. In the meantime, I'll be searching for my own Mr. Darcy.
