Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
While Estella was still a child, Miss Havisham began casting about for boys who could be a testing ground for Estella's education in breaking the hearts of men as vicarious revenge for Miss Havisham's pain. Pip, the narrator, is the eventual victim; and Miss Havisham readily dresses Estella in jewels to enhance her beauty and to exemplify all the more the vast social gulf between her and Pip. When, as a young adult, Estella leaves for France to receive education, Miss Havisham eagerly asks him, "Do you feel you have lost her?" Tell us about Ashley Thomas as Jaggers. Was the role of Jaggers always expanded when you were scripting the adaptation? verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ It was amazing. The relationship between Estella and Miss Havisham is incredibly toxic and dark, especially the way that Steven has adapted it. I was really excited and nervous when I found out Olivia Colman was essentially going to be playing my mum. They're such heavy scenes so it's really fun when we're on set and straight after we yell "cut" we're just laughing and making light of the situation, so that's been lovely. She's such a dream, I literally pinch myself thinking about it. I can't believe I'm working with her. I think the casting is inspired. I was excited when I heard Ashley was going to be playing Jaggers – he’s mastered language as a rapper and is an incredible actor. As an actor you'd be lying if you didn't say that you're always intrigued as to who’s going to be the other cast members! I’m a massive fan of Olivia. It just works. When they said Olivia was going to play Miss Havisham I was like: they’ve nailed that. Sometimes adaptations can be a bit dusty and old, but I think Steven's was unashamedly modern.
Anne Bancroft (1998) (a version which modernised the story to the twentieth century and changed the names of several characters) Working with Fionn Whitehead has been very interesting. He is a really talented actor and we have been getting along on set. He likes to play his music from his little speaker and I love music as well. We have been really catching a vibe and laughing, making jokes and just enjoying each other’s company. I think that rings through on screen. Even though, at first, the characters are at odds, they come together and get closer and our relationship off screen starts to show on screen. There is a comfortability between us that is shining through. Ronald Frame's 2013 novel, Havisham, is a non-canonical story about Miss Havisham's early life. The story tells how Miss Havisham (given the name of Catherine) is the daughter of a brewer. The story tells of more than just the infamous trauma of being left behind by her fiancé and goes on with her taking charge of her family's business before descending into vengeful madness, adopting Estella, and arranging the meeting of Estella and Pip. It’s kind of cheeky to say it because I'm playing Magwitch but it's the graveyard scene from the original movie. That haunting image. And Miss Havisham as well. The haunting image of this old lady who’s been jilted and resentful. That’s a powerful image. The process of hair, makeup and wardrobe with a period drama is so different to anything I've ever experienced, specifically with wardrobe. In our very first meeting with Verity Hawkes, who's the designer, she'd laid out all these incredible sketches that she had drawn up and was explaining the process of what happens to Estella – we see her bloom and rot in her clothing, like you would with flowers. I remember going in for those first fittings and seeing those dresses for the first time – they literally took my breath away.
Who stars in the series?
KC: He brought a real authenticity and honesty to the part and you really feel for Pip and his journey through London and his eventual downfall. It really hits hard. He's a terrific actor. KC: It really taps into themes that are there in Steve's writing in his other works. He looks at things like class and social mobility and, in this version, the time that it's set, the way that empire and commerce has affected and shaped London, for example, are all things that very much interest Steve. Well I always say my favourite two words are ‘The End’. When you get to the end and it’s like: it’s an object now. That’s always good. But Jaggers and Miss Havisham are obviously two gigantic characters from a gigantic intellect and it’s amazing when you’ve got those characters to play with. DB: I've known Brady for several years and it was really exciting to finally get a production away with him. When Brady came to us with his vision for it was just really it felt so personal to him. He’s bought an enormous depth to the story and a personal insight – and he's a really lovely human being. It’s humbling, there's no doubt about it. I'm from the Elephant and Castle, that's where I grew up and where I live now, and it's where this is all set. There was a great line in one of the earlier drafts, where Jaggers sends Pip off to South London and says, "Take this letter to the Walworth Road." Pip says, "What if anyone stops me?" And he says, "Don't talk to anyone within two miles of the Elephant and Castle, they're not to be trusted," and I just laughed. That's where I'm from, I live on the Walworth Road. I really wanted to tell, for what it's worth, my interpretation of who Magwitch is.
BBC One – Great Expectations – Miss Havisham". Bbc.co.uk. 1 January 1970 . Retrieved 14 August 2012. We first see Compeyson in Pip's life on the marshes. He's just escaped the hulk, and he and Pip stumble across each other--there's some distance between them--and Pip knows that there's something wrong with this person, something quite insidious and malevolent, and decides not to approach him, but Compeyson, being the charmer that he is, thinks he can talk anybody round, thinks he can get close enough to silence him, because Magwitch is on the marshes looking for Compeyson, and he doesn't want anything to thwart his escape. So the it's quite a horrible introduction for Pip to Compeyson.
While Miss Havisham's original goal was to prevent Estella from suffering as she had at the hands of a man, it changed as Estella grew older: What makes this version different is the casting choices – they have really thought outside of the box. People can see themselves in a piece like this where they may have been excluded previously just because of the nature of the way the world was at the time. London at that time was a melting pot of different cultures. You had people from Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, even before the Windrush era. I think it is important that these shows show that representation. I don’t think it’s about being woke, it’s just about being accurate to the time. This team have really endeavoured to make that happen. It’s obviously incredibly period, like Victorian, but I think Verity and Niamh Morrison, the hair and makeup designer, both had, surprisingly, a lot of fashion runway references. There were Galliano references, Vivienne Westwood references. So, they were trying to go for something that was a bit more editorial and grungy, not quite traditional. I guess I would describe her style as a weird rotting grunge princess. Olivia Colman (2023) (in this version the character is given the name "Amelia" and is referenced as such) [15]
Working with Olivia Colman was incredible. We had a couple of big scenes and she just made it effortless, very easy, very seamless. We had a laugh, and it was huge honour; it's a huge honour to be on this set with everybody. You feel incredibly blessed. Olivia is a national treasure. I have to point a gun at her at one point and I was very nervous about that, and I have to push around a little, and she's a national treasure, so if you harm Olivia you might as well ask Jeff Bezos for a trip to the moon, as there's no place here to hide. I like any of the scenes with Miss Havisham, Estella and Pip when he’s being educated. I think they’re just great. DB: To have an actor like Ashley play such a powerful role in a period drama just feels very exciting and it's something we haven't really seen before. KC: We were aware of Samira from her work on Deutschland 83 and it was fantastic to have a female viewpoint for the last two episodes. And also because Samira is not British, having somebody else look at the British class system at that time was very interesting. In film adaptations of Great Expectations, Miss Havisham has been played by a number of actors, including:
The dynamic between Pip and Jaggers is like an abusive relationship. Pip does everything Jaggers says and commits all kinds of terrible acts for and with Jaggers because he thinks that this is what he should do to become a gentleman. But, as it goes on, he starts to draw out the humanity in Jaggers and see that he's not as clear cut as he first appears. He's not just evil and, actually, some of the things he does he does for reasons that he tries not to let onto anyone, and I think that Pip breaks through some of that. With Magwitch, Pip doesn't really have very much to do with him. He's a very influential figure in his early life and I think that really affects him. That initial interaction really affects him throughout his life. I think it shakes him up because it's the first time he's experienced anyone who is completely out of his world, who is nothing to do with his village or where he's from. What makes this story such a timeless tale is that it’s somebody who’s desperate to be something other than themselves. I think, at some point, everyone has gone through that. Or desperately wanting to climb the social or class ranks to be richer than they are. There's something in that for everyone to relate to at some point in their life.
In Chapter VIII, mention is made of her having "a Prayer-Book all confusedly heaped about the looking-glass." Can you tell us about the relationship between Pip and Miss Havisham and what it's been like working with Olivia Colman?Pip is kind of obsessed with Shalom’s character even though she is quite intimidating, harsh and cold with him. This couldn't be further from the truth in real life. Shalom is a brilliant actor and so kind; we get on really well and have a real laugh in between takes. It’s been great to be able to switch in and out of that because it would be exhausting to be really cold with each other the whole time, but we've been able to have a really good time.
Related:
Great Deal 
New Comment