Miss Havisham star praises ‘brilliant’ Great Expectations co-stars
Watch Great Expectations Extended Trailer
The first instalment of BBC’s Great Expectations kicked off at the end of March as viewers saw a star-studded cast bring the well-known characters of a classic tale to life. As fans were introduced to the orphan Pip (played by both Fionn Whitehead and Tom Sweet) his journey to turn his life around for the better began after meeting the wealthy recluse Miss Havisham (Olivia Colman).
Producer Steven Knight has delved back into the world of Charles Dickens as he brings BBC viewers a six-part adaptation of Great Expectations.
Throughout the coming-of-age story, fans will see Pip stray from his life of poverty as he yearns for a greater life.
In the first episode, Pip’s luck changed after he discovered the rich and somewhat eccentric Miss Havisham, who was on the hunt for a companion for her adopted daughter Estella (Shalom Brune-Franklin).
With both teens the same age and him being the smartest boy in school, it’s suggested he could be a suitable candidate.
However, as time goes on Miss Havisham shows Pip a different side to the class system and opens up a dark world of possibilities.
When speaking about working with the actors who portray the older Pip and Estella, Miss Havisham star Olivia had nothing but praise.
She said: “I worked most of the time with Fionn and Shalom, they are irritatingly young and beautiful, and really good!
“I have had a lovely time, and I sort of forget I’m not the same age as them. Then I look in the mirror and go ‘Oh yes, they have given me a great white wig.’
“It’s amazing working with them, they are brilliant. It is very exciting to see where they will go.”
However, the actress confessed when she first read Steven’s script it was a lot darker than the version she remembered reading and teased there are a fair few changes to be expected.
Her iconic character still wears her wedding dress after being jolted at the altar with Olivia explaining that moment in her character’s life changed her forever.
She added: “Her life stopped from that moment, pretty much. She is only really in her forties, but she is always depicted as a much older woman.
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“We have gone for long white hair and lots of broken veins. We think she went white with the shock and the heartbreak.”
One slightly different depiction of Miss Havisham in the BBC series will see her as an opium addict.
Touching on Miss Havisham adopting Estella after her heartbreak, Olivia joked her character has trained her daughter to be an “assassin” by hurting men the same way she was hurt.
This will become evident throughout Pip and Estella’s complex relationship in the show as Olivia revealed Miss Havisham wants the boy to fall in love with her daughter only for her to break his heart in the long run.
A synopsis for the second instalment of the series reads: “As Pip continues his education with Miss Havisham, he becomes attached to Estella, who introduces him to a boy destined to be a gentleman.
“Riled into a fight by Estella, the two boys exchange blows. Shocked into displaying his uncouth behaviour Pip tries to leave.
“In London, the lawyer Jaggers gets a letter that changes Pip’s life forever.”
Great Expectations continues Sundays on BBC One from 9pm
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