She plays Elinor, the rational elder sister in Sense and Sensibility, opposite the younger, more romantic sister Marianne. Speaking to the BBC, Edgar-Jones says that in her personal life, she really is like her character. "When it comes to love, I think I am very much more Elinor in every sort of way," she says.
"I definitely lead a lot with my head and try and push aside, bury my emotion." But she notes that one of the joys of the film is seeing Elinor learn to enjoy a "wilder, passionate side" of herself. "And I feel like I learnt to do that too," she says. Best known for starring in hit TV series Normal People with Paul Mescal, Edgar-Jones, 28, is now taking on a lead role in the latest adaptation of Jane Austen's book.
Ahead of its release, she’s been talking to me about whether we really need another Sense and Sensibility film (spoiler: yes. The new film, directed by Georgia Oakley, follows the Dashwood sisters as they navigate their way through love, loss and societal expectations, following the death of their father. It's a classic adaptation of Austen's novel, rather than a more contemporary take.
When I meet Edgar-Jones at a hotel in central London, I ask her whether there was ever a temptation to make it more "2026". "It does feel very much like it's honouring the period," she agrees, "but I think there's a freshness to the filmmaking that I think is really beautiful". She is starring alongside Esmé Creed-Miles, 26, who plays her sister Marianne.
Together, the two sisters' different approaches to life are characterised as "sense" (Elinor) and "sensibility" (Marianne). Creed-Miles is also well cast, it seems. "I'm more like Marianne [than Elinor], yeah, which is annoying sometimes," she laughs.
Sense and Sensibility has been adapted for screen countless times before - including the hit 1995 film starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet. Edgar-Jones loves that version (“one of my favourite films of all time”) but also feels there's room to tell Austen’s classic tale again. "Her stories are something that fascinate us still today,” she says.
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