Daisy Edgar-Jones: I try and bury my emotion when it comes to love
Daisy Edgar-Jones: I try and bury my emotion when it comes to love. Image source, Alex Bailey / 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLCImage caption, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles in a scene from Sense and SensibilityThe new film, directed by Georgia Oakley, follows the Dashwood sisters as they navigate their way through love, loss and societal expectations, following the death of their father.
What happened
Image source, Getty ImagesByNoor NanjiCulture correspondentPublished19 September 2026, 00:01 BSTDaisy Edgar-Jones has been well cast in her new film. Image source, Alex Bailey / 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLCImage caption, Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as Elinor in Sense and SensibilitySense and Sensibility has been adapted for screen countless times before – including the hit 1995 film starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet. Edgar-Jones loves that version (“one of my favourite films of all time”) but also feels there's room to tell Austen’s classic tale again.
It's the part of the film I'm most proud of. ”Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Esmé Creed-Miles and Daisy Edgar-Jones play two sisters in Sense & SensibilityJane Austen seems to be everywhere right now. "Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Daisy Edgar-Jones takes a selfie with a fan at the world premiere for Sense and Sensibility in London earlier this weekAusten also wrote about the sort of dating behaviour that people complain about on TikTok (like situationships and ghosting), before terms like that had even been invented.
"Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal's breakout roles were in Normal People, which came out in 2020Edgar-Jones shot to fame during the pandemic with her role in Normal People. Speaking to the BBC, Edgar-Jones says that in her personal life, she really is like her character.
The wider picture
"When it comes to love, I think I am very much more Elinor in every sort of way," she says. "I definitely lead a lot with my head and try and push aside, bury my emotion. Best known for starring in hit TV series Normal People with Paul Mescal, Edgar-Jones, 28, is now taking on a lead role in the latest adaptation of Jane Austen's book. When I meet Edgar-Jones at a hotel in central London, I ask her whether there was ever a temptation to make it more "2026".
"For Edgar-Jones, the theme of sisterhood is something that stuck with her from Sense and Sensibility – despite her being an only child in real life. For Edgar-Jones, the themes in Austen's books are just as revelant today. "And so yes, I think definitely the trials and tribulations of the two women [Elinor and Marianne] as they navigate life, love and all that becomes as you grow up, definitely is so relatable to all generations.
Based on Sally Rooney's novel, the BBC Three drama charted the on-off relationship of teenagers Marianne and Connell, played by Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal.
What has been reported
The pair have remained close (a few years ago, Edgar-Jones told me Mescal was "one of my all-time best friends") – and both are now successful actors. Edgar-Jones has since starred in Twisters and Where The Crawdads Sing, while Mescal was in Gladiator II, Hamnet and will be in the Beatles films. "We would have sleepovers every night and watch Love Island. “I've heard a lot of people say that after watching the film, it either makes them want a sister or to ring up their sister and say like, ‘Hey, I love you,’ and I think that's really special.
"Her ruminations on love, on romance, on sisterly love, on family dynamics, on interpersonal social dynamics – she's such a talent. Our capacity to love and feel heartbreak, and that early first love feeling, is something that we all experience in various ways. Related topicsCultureJane AustenFilmMore on this storyDating apps, booze and clubbing – Jane Austen's Emma comes into the 21st CenturyPublished21 September 2025Why people are still obsessed with Jane Austen todayPublished31 MayJane Austen fans gather to celebrate anniversaryPublished18 September 2025
In real life the actress says she is just like the character she's playing in Sense and Sensibility.
What happens next
She plays Elinor, the rational elder sister in Sense and Sensibility, opposite the younger, more romantic sister Marianne. "But she notes that one of the joys of the film is seeing Elinor learn to enjoy a "wilder, passionate side" of herself. "And I feel like I learnt to do that too," she says. Ahead of its release, she’s been talking to me about whether we really need another Sense and Sensibility film (spoiler: yes.
“The more the merrier, in my opinion. ”)She also told me why young people today can still see themselves in Jane Austen's stories – and gave me her take on whether her friend and former co-star Mescal should be the next James Bond. It's a classic adaptation of Austen's novel, rather than a more contemporary take. "It does feel very much like it's honouring the period," she agrees, "but I think there's a freshness to the filmmaking that I think is really beautiful".