Maddie Close, who plays Jane Bennet in the upcoming series, says Mary’s coming-of-age story and journey to self-acceptance is more relevant than ever.
“It is just so beautiful to watch her blossom and find herself,” she says, adding that stories like Mary’s are especially needed for teenagers trying to navigate the world and social media.
Grace Hogg-Robinson, who plays Mary’s sister Lydia Bennet, agrees, and adds that Austen’s characters stand the test of time because people often meet them at important junctures in their life – for example, when studying Pride and Prejudice at GCSE.
The actress believes Mary is “much more relatable” to a modern audience than some of the more iconic Austen characters, explaining that “so many people feel like the person that no-one ever quite remembers”.
“It’s really nice to tell that story,” she adds.
Poppy Gilbert, who plays Lizzy Bennet, says Mary is the sister she relates to the most and says others will too, thanks to her experiences of feeling “constantly compared” to others.
Costume designer Sian Jenkins tried to demonstrate Mary’s journey to finding herself through her wardrobe, which throughout the series transitions from creams and beiges to bold greens and reds, despite her mother, the infamous Mrs Bennet, berating her at every turn.
Bruccoleri adds that the biggest journey her character goes on in the show is trying to find a way to remove herself emotionally from her overbearing mother.
In order to do this, she has to learn to live without her “approval or validation” and give this to herself instead.
