This weekend I went to the movies and we got to the theater in time to see the previews- since it was a Friday evening, most of the films advertised were, naturally, for larger “Blockbuster Hollywood” films. (These ranged anywhere from Captain America: The Winter Soldier to the next installment of The Hobbit films.) Right before the movie began, I was then a bit surprised to see Keira Knightley, along with several other recognizable actors, in a preview for an action film to come out next year. This made me think back to the 2005 Pride & Prejudice adaptation starring Knightley opposite the relatively lesser-known cast and how this may have impacted marketing/audience reception of the film.
By 2005, Knightley had already starred in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Love Actually, both of which established her reputation as an actress within Hollywood. Thus, when cast as Elizabeth Bennet, she was a major focus in promotion of the film. Personally, I am surprised by her casting solely because of her balance with the rest of the cast. Donald Sutherland (as Mr. Bennet) and Judi Dench (as Lady Catherine de Bourg) both hold a high level of acclaim within Hollywood, however, there was still a large number of relative ‘unknown’ actors cast as the rest of the Bennet family and Darcy: Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, Carey Mulligan, and Matthew Macfayden. Since this time several of these actors have become more widely known- Carey Mulligan has starred in Drive, Never Let Me Go, and, most recently, The Great Gatsby, and Jena Malone has done several independent projects and will be featured in the upcoming The Hunger Games: Catching Fire installment.
Personally, I found at times Knightley dominated the rest of the cast. I’m not sure whether this was because of the promotional material or because I was so familiar with her as an actor. I do think that Knightley was suitable for the part of Elizabeth Bennet: she seemed to capture an intelligent, witty, complex character while still remaining likable and engaging. Despite this, I would be interested to see how the film would compare if a lesser-known actress was cast as Elizabeth or if “bigger name” actors had been cast as the other Bennet sisters- this potentially might bring more balance as an ensemble for the film as a whole.