Exclusive Interview
‘The Other Bennet Sister’ Cast Explains Mary, Hayward & Ryder’s Connection (VIDEO)
The oft-ignored Mary Bennet gets her chance to shine in The Other Bennet Sister, a charming spinoff of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, but she struggles to realize there was anything about her that could shine in the first place. The middle Bennet sister, wonderfully played by Ella Bruccoleri, finally has the chance to view herself and life through a new lens when she moves away from her oppressive mother and childhood home to London with her loving aunt and uncle. As Mary comes into her own, romantic prospects arrive for the very first time in her life. Enter the swoon-worthy gentlemen Mr. Hayward (Dónal Finn) and Mr. Ryder (Laurie Davidson).
The Other Bennet Sister debuted with its first three episodes on Wednesday, May 6, on BritBox in the United States. Bruccoleri, Finn, and Davidson break down Mary, Hayward, and Ryder’s first impressions of each other in the video interview above.
Why does Mary have such a hard time recognizing that people are interested in her, both romantically and not? Mrs. Bennet’s (Ruth Jones) is to blame for that. This version of the Bennet family matriarch is incredibly harsh on Mary, constantly listing the reasons why she’s bound to remain a spinster forever. (One of Mary’s greatest offenses, in her mother’s eyes, is the need for glasses. Her mom is a lot.)
“She’s had two decades of being told she’s innately unloveable, so that’s a lot of time to unpack this way of thinking,” Bruccoleri explains. “It’s really hard for her to get her head around the fact that she has innate value and charm that isn’t attached to her marriageability or to her place within the world in terms of her social standing. That’s really difficult.”
“I also think it’s not the currency that she understands the most. Being attracted on a surface level, she doesn’t really understand that,” the Call the Midwife alum adds. “She understands finding deeper connection with people. But when people say to her, ‘Mr. Ryder’s really good looking’ or Mr. Hayward, she genuinely doesn’t see it. She has physical desires, obviously, but she doesn’t really understand people speaking about beauty and objectifying in that way.”
Finn and Davidson explain what Hayward and Ryder admire so much about Mary. Hayward, who is currently courting Miss Baxter (Varada Sethu), deeply admires Mary’s ability to be herself and to make others feel comfortable enough to do the same. Finn notes an upcoming scene in which Mary makes the most out of an uncomfortable situation and shows her endearing true colors.
“She brings out this huge joy and energy” out of a man who was disinterested in speaking with her at first, Finn says. “It’s hard not to see that quality in a person and think that that’s amazing.”
“It’s her ability to allow people to feel safe enough to bring [out] the vulnerable and probably what other people would describe as strange or quirky or weird parts of themselves,” Finn adds. “That’s certainly what Hayward feels. He feels a safety with her. And hopefully she feels that as well…I think that’s what makes them a great pairing.”
For Ryder, it’s the sense of liberation.
“He’s incredibly frustrated and feels very restricted and suffocated by the tightness of society,” Davidson explains. “He finds in Mary a rebellious nature that he’s not really discovered anywhere else. And when that happens…just the fact that she’s questioning some of the rules and why we do things — but she also challenges some of his idealistic thinking — it’s so refreshing to be questioned, but also by a woman of that time. It’s shocking to Ryder.”
Learn more about the relationships in The Other Bennet Sister in the full video interview above.
The Other Bennet Sister, Wednesdays, BritBox
