BECOMING JANE casting news
Bumping this up to add new information. –Ed.
A commenter claiming to be an extra in BECOMING JANE posted in comments that James Cromwell is playing Mr. Austen and that Maggie Smith is playing Lady Gresham. We don’t know who Lady Gresham is, either; books are being feverishly studied as we type. Relative of Tom Lefroy? Irish nobility? Friend of Eliza Austen? Eccentric neighbor? Who knows? Does it matter? It’s a Made Up Story, remember? ETA: A commenter posted that Lady Gresham gives the ball at which Jane and Tom meet. No idea if she is real. We’re not even sure that the information of who gave that ball is available.
ETA: Our new friend “Wilder” also posted that Julie Walters is indeed playing Mrs. Austen. We have no reason to disbelieve Wilder, but please note that it is unconfirmed information.
The press is still intent on stirring up a kerfluffle, and it’s just comedy gold watching them all fall over themselves. Starpulse.com has an article which includes the rather hilarious claim that Jane Austen, who died, as they say, without issue (and glad of it from all reports), has “direct descendants.” Anna Chancellor, whom we all know as Miss Bingley in P&P2, is not a descendant of Jane but of her elder brother Edward. To the subject therein: Miss Chancellor thinks Anne Hathaway “too pretty” to play Jane Austen.
And now Anna Chancellor, who is a direct descendant of Austen, has slammed the decision to transform her esteemed relative into a ravishing beauty. She says, “In my mind Anne Hathaway is just too pretty to play her. Jane was a very plain woman. Her beauty was in her brain. But that’s what Hollywood does.”
We respectfully disagree. Jane was described as pretty by several relatives. Not beautiful, perhaps, but not plain. (Put down the extremes and back away slowly!) Actually, we’ve always fancied that Jane looked rather like…Anna Chancellor. (Really. Not being snarky.)
The British-made film will tell the story of Austen’s doomed love for Irish lawyer Tom LeFroy, played by James McAvoy, which floundered because LeFroy’s financial prospects failed to impress Austen’s family.
MADE UP STORY! MADE UP STORY!
Doomed love, indeed.
April 13th, 2006 at 9:13 am
Wilder please let us know the rest of the cast details.
I can’t sem to find anything online with all the detailed information of the cast.
April 13th, 2006 at 8:27 pm
Well that would be neat if James Cromwell was going to be Mr. Austen, I’ve really enjoyed the things I’ve seen him in, I just saw him guest star in ‘Little House on the Prairie’ re-run the other day. But he’s so tall! It doesn’t seem to me that Mr. Austen was a tall man, but then I never knew him!
But then again Mr. Cromwell does share a birthday with two other JA movie actors Rosamund Pike (Jane Bennet P&P3) and Alan Cumming (Mr. Elton, E2) so he’d fit right in! lol!
Mags, who on earth is Lady Gresham? A relative of Tom Lefroy? Shows how much I know about him and Jane!
April 14th, 2006 at 12:21 am
What fun! I looked up the list of characters on Pemberley’s “Jane Austen character names” and there is a “Lady Mary Grierson” who “Missed a promised passage on Captain Wentworth’s ship.” And “Grierson” does sound a little bit like “Gresham”. (I mention this because “Persuasion” is my favourite Jane Austen novel and I want to be part of the “Becoming Jane” snark
Also checked the Biographical and General Indices in Deirdre Le Faye’s “Jane Austen’s Letters”, and the search engine for the Letters online, but was unable to find a reference to Lady Gresham. Perhaps she’s a composite or a figment in “Becoming Jane”.
When I joined JASNA, I was persuaded by a charter member to say “collateral” descendant of Jane Austen rather than “descendant” and I was delighted to oblige!
April 15th, 2006 at 10:15 am
Reminds me. When P&P1 was first shown there was some female novelist who objected that Elizabeth Garvie was too pretty for the part(!).
Luckily cultists everywhere were not deprived.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:40 am
A person claiming to know someone on the set of Becoming Jane posted a cast list on the IMDB message boards. I do not know if it true, but this is what the person said:
Anna Maxwell Martin is playing Cassandra, Jane’s sister
Julie Walters is playing Mrs Austen
James Cromwell is Mr Austen
Maggie Smith is Lady Gresham, an aristocratic landowner whose favourite nephew has fallen in love with Jane
Lucy Cohu is Jane’s half-French cousin who has been widowed but has designs on Jane’s brother, Henry
Ian Richardson plays Tom Lefroy’s cantankerous uncle
The person also said, “word is that Anne Hathaway is fantastic and her accent really spot on.” Also in the movie Lady Gresham does not like Jane Austen.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:22 am
[...] Alert Janeite Arwen posted the following information in comments: A person claiming to know someone on the set of Becoming Jane posted a cast list on the IMDB message boards. I do not know if it true, but this is what the person said: [...]
April 19th, 2006 at 10:12 am
The actors are all so good that this will be an interesting film, just to see their characters take wing. I think Anna Chancellor is jealous she was not cast, as a great great an so on niece of Jane. Remember Keira K, is gorgeous, and she was able to pull off Lizzy Bennet very well by emerging into the character. Again, this is an amazing cast!
April 19th, 2006 at 10:40 am
I think Anna Chancellor is jealous she was not cast, as a great great an so on niece of Jane.
As I posted above, the tabloids are bent on stirring up a kerfluffle. They are working their way through family members. I wish the family members would get a clue and not be their monkey.
Remember Keira K, is gorgeous, and she was able to pull off Lizzy Bennet very well by emerging into the character.
Well, that’s a matter of opinion, I suppose.