A fine romance
EMILY BEECHAM AND LILY JAMES star in a lavish take on Nancy Mitford’s much-loved novel
EVER SINCE NANCY Mitford’s sharpwitted novel The Pursuit of Love was published in 1945, it has captivated readers with its portrayal of an eccentric, aristocratic family in the interwar years of the 1920s and 1930s.
Now, a star-studded three-part adaptation brings to life the romantic fortunes of spirited Linda Radlett, played by Lily James, and her more strait-laced friend and cousin Fanny Logan, played by Emily Beecham.
Linda has grown up on her family’s Cotswolds estate, Alconleigh, but she dreams of finding adventure and true love and escaping the restrictions imposed by her tyrannical father Matthew (Dominic West). Meanwhile, Fanny seeks stability after being abandoned as a child by her flighty mother ‘The Bolter’, played by Emily Mortimer, who has penned and directed the series.
As Linda and Fanny come of age and World War Two beckons, they are drawn into the path of a range of suitors, but can they find happiness?
Tv&satellite Week joined James, 32, and Beecham, who turns 37 on 12 May, for a call to find out more…
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT
YOUR CHARACTERS?
JAMES Linda has fire and curiosity, but doesn’t know what to do with it. Her father’s abusive, he doesn’t let the girls have an education or leave the property. But she follows her heart and tries to find herself through the men she encounters – a communist, a conservative and a wild European.
BEECHAM Fanny and Linda are both searching for fulfilment in different ways. Fanny is struggling with who she is, but Linda brings Technicolor into Fanny’s life.
HOW DO YOU SEE FANNY AND
LINDA’S FRIENDSHIP?
BEECHAM They have secrets and hurt each other, but they come together like magnets. Even though they change and go in different directions, that bond is special.
JAMES The series is really about their friendship. They’re soulmates. Linda really finds herself in Fanny.
WHAT CHOICES DID WOMEN FACE
IN THAT ERA?
JAMES At that time, their options were limited. Do you become a mother and wife or do you face the world on your own terms? There’s a sadness that it has to be those extremes and there’s no middle ground.
BEECHAM Womanhood was challenging in the 1930s. As Fanny grows older and becomes bored and frustrated, she gains more understanding for her mother’s and Linda’s choices.
THE COSTUMES LOOK AMAZING. DID
YOU ENJOY WEARING THEM?
JAMES For Linda, fashion is a source of creativity. There are tiny details like Linda’s yellow scarf that she has during her entire life. The
designer drew inspiration from Gucci fashion shows and the highest fashion in the 1930s. You feel like a living, breathing person when someone dresses you like that.
THIS FEELS VERY DIFFERENT FROM A TRADITIONAL PERIOD DRAMA…
JAMES Yes, Emily Mortimer has brought something fresh but has kept the essence of Nancy Mitford’s writing with the wit and satire. The music, too, is really vital. We did a ball scene where we had a band that was comprised of one member of The Who, two members of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and one each from The Specials and The Pretenders. It was incredible.