Set Secrets from Persuasion, the New Netflix Jane Austen Adaptation

Jane Austen fans can rejoice – a brand new and subversive adaptation of Austen’s final novel (the book was actually published six months after the author’s death) premieres today on Netflix, breathing life into the classic and compelling story.

Helmed by acclaimed British theatre director Carrie Cracknell (National Theatre’s The Deep Blue Sea and Julie) makes her feature directorial debut with a story of second chances and the pressures women faced in Regency-era England. Persuasion follows Anne Elliot, a young Englishwoman of twenty-seven years, whose family moves to lower their expenses and reduce their debt by renting their home to an Admiral and his wife.

Cracknell said of the story, “We wanted to adapt this story with a version of Anne who’s incredibly contemporary, strident, and funny. Someone who messes up, gets herself into awkward situations, and gets things wrong. We wanted to take the spirit of the original character and drag her into the current day. What excited me most was the idea of a younger generation coming to the material and finding themselves represented in more aspects of the story than ever before.”

“We wanted to honour the tropes and traditions of Jane Austen while making the characters more diverse, current, and emotionally available, where people could really see themselves in the characters.”

Shooting the film – which stars Dakota Johnson as Anne and Cosmo Jarvis as Captain Wentworth – seemed a quaint and wholesome experience for both cast and crew. The set, which apparently featured actor/emotional-support rabbits and literal thousands of cups of tea, was nestled in the countryside of Lyme Cobb during the summer of 2021 – pretty idyllic. Ideal for Austen, you might say!

Read on for some on-set secrets from the making of Persuasion…

Modern Austen style

Director Carrie Cracknell wanted the film to have a more minimalist aesthetic, especially in the way her cast was costumed. In order to make the costumes and hair aesthetically connected to modern times, the women don’t often wear bonnets or hats, and have their hair in natural styles. 

Costume Designer Marianne Agertoft kept the colours monochromatic for Anne, “leaning ever so slightly on the feel of punk, making sure that in her world she would stand out quite differently from her family and peers. We do go into a slightly softer mode where she comes out of the black and white as the film progresses, though.” 

Agertoft also lowered waistlines from the more traditional empire line of the period. She also broke rules around uniforms. “We deliberately kept both Wentworth and Admiral Croft in what they would call ‘undress.’ Normally a uniform would be worn when they are at dinners, concerts, and out and about and this is called ‘full dress,’ which consists of breeches, shoes, and stockings, but it just didn’t feel right so we broke this rule and had them in undress.” 

Authentic interiors

Production Designer JP Kelly deliberately looked for houses that were privately owned, so he could redecorate them and completely reimagine the colour schemes, curtains, and wallpapers. There was an unofficial Persuasion code of conduct according to Kelly: “The rule was, if you like it now, then it should be in the film. All of the items are still period-correct, but if it appeals to modern taste it went in!” 

The wallpaper in Anne Elliot’s bedroom is over 300 years old and had an earthiness to it that felt right for the character. In real life, however, the bedroom belongs to the son of the home’s owner and came plastered with Lion King stickers all over it from when the child was small. 

The film’s colour palette feels deliberately contemporary. There are teals and softer blues, and greens. The filmmakers also made a choice not to have any red in the film.

Lovely Lyme Cobb…

Filming took place in the summer of 2021 where temperatures often reached 28°C. The weather was especially challenging in the scenes that filmed in the countryside of Lyme Cobb, where there was little shelter from the sun, which the cast – fully covered in long sleeves, dresses, petticoats, and waistcoats – was specifically instructed to avoid so they weren’t tanned or sunburnt for continuity reasons. 

Louisa’s fall at Lyme Cobb takes place in the exact spot that Jane Austen had written the moment. 

Tea and buns!

Roughly 7,400 cups of tea were consumed during production. 

There were two live bunnies on set, yet only one appears on screen. Panda, a seven-month-old Rex/Netherland Dwarf mix is the one who appears in the film. She’s closely bonded to her companion Alan, however, and must travel with him at all times. 

Aside from proximity to her emotional support bunny, Panda had few demands. Fresh dandelion stems, the green tops of carrots, and biscuits were all it took to incentivise her to perform.

Watch Persuasion tonight on Netflix. Photography: Netflix.