Sense and Sensibility: Fiona Shaw will be starring in this Jane Austen adaptation as Mrs. Jennings

After starring in Tony Gilroy's politically-charged Andor, Fiona Shaw has joined the cast of the latest screen adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen's early 19th-century novel.

The story centres on the Dashwood sisters, Marianne and Elinor, and navigates their lives as they move into a cottage with their widowed mother. Shaw will portray Mrs Jennings, a distant relative who offers them a place to stay shortly after their father's death. She also meddles with their relationships, which doesn't always go her way.

The new Sense and Sensibility adaptation aims to offer a fresh take on Austen's literary classic, from UK-based writer-director Georgia Oakley, known for her work on Blue Jean (2022) and Little Bird (2017), among others. It comes nearly three decades after an earlier adaptation of the same novel by Ang Lee that had a screenplay by and starred Emma Thompson.

Who else stars in the new Sense and Sensibility film?

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Ang Lee's 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen's romance novel was a star-studded affair, featuring Emma Thompson along with Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Imelda Staunton, Harriet Walter, Hugh Laurie, and more.

The upcoming Sense and Sensibility film follows this tradition, and stars young stars who have proven their dramatic chops in lead roles. Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Elinor Dashwood from Thompson, while Esme Creed-Miles stars as her sister Marianne (played by Winslet in Lee's film).

George MacKay portrays Elinor's romantic interest, Edward Ferrars, in the new film while Frank Dillane is set to star as Marianne's initial love interest, John Willoughby.

Caitríona Balfe plays Elinor and Marianne's widowed mother, Mrs. Dashwood, while Bodhi Rae Breathnach stars as their younger sister, Margaret. Herbert Nordrum will play Colonel Brandon, who arrives in Marianne's life as her suitor, while Shaw, as earlier revealed, will star as Mrs Jennings.

Sense and Sensibility marks the latest addition to a string of recent Jane Austen adaptations, which includes Netflix's Persuasion (2022), starring Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot, apart from Autumn de Wilde's EMMA. (2020), starring Anya Taylor-Joy in the central role.

There is also a new Netflix series under production, based on Austen's Pride and Prejudice, where Fiona Shaw plays Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The role was played by Dame Judi Dench in an earlier film released in 2005. In the new film, Shaw will join Emma Corrin, Olivia Colman, Jack Lowden, Rufus Sewell, Daryl McCormack, Siena Kelly, and more in the cast.

More details about Fiona Shaw's work

Fiona Shaw may be widely known for playing Petunia Evans Dursley in the Harry Potter franchise, but she has been active in the industry for many more years. Her work in theater earned her the Laurence Olivier Award in the 1990s. Since then, she worked on a variety of projects in film and television.

Shaw most recently appeared in Apple TV's Echo Valley, alongside Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney. Her TV roles include her work in Bad Sisters, Andor, Killing Eve, and more. She also starred in Rebecca Lenkiewicz's adaptation of Deborah Levy's 2016 novel, Hot Milk, alongside Emma Mackey and Vicky Krieps. The film is now available to watch online on digital platforms.