Matthew Macfadyen wasn’t miscast as Mr Darcy
Matthew Macfadyen has said he felt "miscast" as Mr Darcy in Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice but for many fans, myself included, that couldn't be further from the truth.
The actor starred in the film opposite Keira Knightley, who played Jane Austen's iconic heroine Elizabeth Bennet, but he admitted the experience wasn't always enjoyable. Speaking to CBS Mornings, Macfadyen said: "There were moments where I had a good time, but I wish I would have enjoyed it more.
"I wish I was less worried about it. Maybe I felt a bit miscast. I'm not dishy enough. But it worked out."
Wright's take on Pride and Prejudice is often seen as the best adaptation of Austen's novel, and a lot of that comes down to Macfadyen's performance as Mr Darcy. It's his interpretation of the character and his acting choices, both big and small, that make him stand out in the role and give Colin Firth (who played the character in 1996) a run for his money.
The film tells Austen's beloved love story between Elizabeth Bennet, the second-eldest daughter of the Bennet family, and Mr Darcy. At first the pair immediately clash, after Elizabeth calls out the seemingly snobbish aristocrat for his derision of women in society, herself included, but the more time they spend together the sooner this fire turns to love.
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While Firth can be seen as being, conventionally speaking, more "dishy" than Macfadyen —to use the actor's words— there's a lot that makes the Succession star's interpretation better. Where Firth is all bravado and sharp wit, Macfadyen depicts the character as more vulnerable, more sensual, which appeals even more to the female gaze.
His Mr Darcy looks at Elizabeth with barely concealed yearning, while his gentle touches —including that infamous hand flex after he touches her for the first time— are swoonworthy all their own. Then there is Macfadyen's delivery of Austen's words, even if Mr Darcy and Elizabeth often share barbed quips at the beginning of the film this soon changes for the former, who becomes gentler and more deferential.
Mr Darcy's proposal in the rain is a perfect example of this, but it's his final confession of love that is the most heartwarming because of the way Macfadyen delivers it. As a viewer you can't help but be swept away like Elizabeth as he repeatedly says he loves her.
The actor's performance is enhanced by Wright's visual approach to their love story. There is a reason viewers understand Mr Darcy's yearning long before the character says it, and that's a result of Wright's directorial choices.
One early sequence at a ball sees the camera follow Elizabeth as she walks through a busy throng of people, but what viewers will immediately notice is the way in which Mr Darcy flits between the crowd behind her, looking at her longingly as he does so. Elizabeth may think they're at odds, but viewers see from that moment that Mr Darcy doesn't feel the same.
It's all about subtlety in the 2005 adaptation, that's why viewers are still talking about Mr Darcy's hand flex almost 20 years after the film's release, and Macfadyen and Knightley's performances add to the tension between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy.
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The pair make their characters' love story all the more enjoyable when they finally do realise their feelings for one another, and Macfadyen especially perfectly embodies the idea of male yearning. Firth may be a wonderful Mr Darcy, but it's Macfadyen who delivers the definitive take on the character.
Pride and Prejudice is available to watch on Netflix.
