When I got the offer, I had actually never read anything by Jane Austen, and I hadn’t seen many of the film adaptations, either, says Ella Bruccoleri, who plays Mary, to TT.
Anyone who thinks they recognise her has probably seen the TV series “Call the Midwife”. She was in it for five seasons, but left in 2022.
It felt like I didn’t have much more to give, like I wasn’t developing any more - I wasn’t learning anything. So I left, even though at the time it felt like the stupidest decision I’d ever made, says Ella Bruccoleri, and continues:
But I was drawn to this profession because I like variety, and I wanted to do something completely different.
Least screen time
Of all Jane Austen’s books, “Pride and Prejudice” is the one that has been filmed the most times. But one of the characters who has received the least screen time in these films and TV series is Mary, who clearly has more intellectual interests than her four sisters.
Her story is told in the book “The Other Bennet Sister”, written by Janice Hadlow. The TV series has been a great success wherever it has been shown.
Ella Bruccoleri describes Mary as multifaceted - and “a real person”.
She is more emotionally intelligent than people think. She is intelligent, she cares about people, she wants them to feel good. Her sisters... I don’t want to call them bimbos, but for them it’s more about appearances. Mary is not vain, so she doesn’t understand them.
“Psychologically impossible”
Ella Bruccoleri feels that Mary views her siblings with a mixture of fascination and alienation.
Could she be like them? Maybe. But she can’t. It’s psychologically impossible; that’s not who she is.
Will there be a continuation of “The Other Bennet Sister”? Yes, but not as a regular series. Instead, they have recorded a so-called Christmas special in three parts about Mary’s life as a newlywed.
If a series is going to run for season after season and I’m going to be interested in being in it, I really have to feel that there is a reason for me to do it. Maybe there could be something new to explore, says Ella Bruccoleri.
What do you think?