Call the Midwife’s Heidi Thomas adaptation of Louise May Alcott’s beloved novel Little Women stars a cast of fresh new faces as well as big-name heavyweights of the acting world.
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Here are the characters you need to know – and the actors who play them:
Maya Hawke – Jo March
Who does she play? Josephine “Jo” March is the character people usually identify with when they first read Little Women. The second-eldest child, she is strong and wilful with a quick temper. She is also a “tomboy”. Jo asserts her independence and also pursues her own career as a writer.
Where have I seen her before? Maya Hawke is the daughter of Hollywood’s Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, so she has a strong acting pedigree! This is her first screen role as she makes her acting debut. 19 years old, she was born in New York.
“Everybody wants to be Jo — it’s her independent spirit, her lack of self- consciousness; she’s free, awkward and weird,” Hawke says. “I share her awkwardness; I can hardly walk like a regular person, I bump into everything and break things and spill and stumble. I also share her curiosity and fervour to learn.
“My parents are actors and I’m the oldest of my siblings — I have three younger sisters, and a brother who’s my best friend. We’re a close-knit, complicated family, but we spend a lot of time together, even though we live in different houses. We’re a rambunctious gang!
“I haven’t always known I wanted to act. I wanted to be a farmer, an English professor or an archaeologist. But playing one of the March women is very special because you rarely see such well-rounded female characters, who see their own faults, are introspective, and work hard to grow, change and be more generous and kind. They remind us that we have permission to reinvent ourselves.”
Annes Elwy – Beth March
Who does she play? In the novel, Beth is 13 when the story starts. She is described as kind, sweet, gentle, shy and quiet. She also has musical talent, but prefers to stay within the household and with her sisters rather than venturing out into the world.
Where have I seen her before? This is a break-out role for Annes Elwy, 25, who recently played the part of “Young Irma” in Philip K Dick’s Electric Dreams. Despite her American accent in the series she was actually born in south Wales.
“Beth’s the quiet sister, but she sees everything,” she explains. “She’s in tune with everyone’s emotions and feels their pain and that can be overwhelming. That’s why music is so important; it helps her express herself.”
Willa Fitzgerald – Meg March
Who does she play? Meg March is the eldest of the four sisters – in the novel, she’s already 16 when the story starts. Her talents are domestic, and she’s also very beautiful: the model “little woman”. She is employed as a governess for the Kings, a wealthy local family.
Where have I seen her before? Willa Fitzgerald’s CV includes Scream, Gotham, Alpha House, and Royal Pains. She is 26, and was born in Tennessee.
“Meg’s the oldest sister, she has to grow up the quickest to provide an example for her sisters, but there are also moments in the story where you see her slip back into the childhood she perhaps didn’t completely have,” Fitzgerald says. “I grew up fast and was very precocious, too. Meg’s also the one who is most interested in playing and pretending — she’s the real actress of the sisters.”
Kathryn Newton – Amy March
Who does she play? Amy is the youngest sister – she’s 12 when the novel begins, although the TV series ages her up a bit. She is the artist of the family, but can also be vain and self-centred with an inability to see anything from anyone else’s perspective.
Where have I seen her before? Kathryn Newton may play the youngest of the March sisters, but the actress herself is the most experienced. She played Claire Novak in Supernatural, Joanie Clark in Halt and Catch Fire, and Abigail Carlson in Big Little Lies. She also has a part in the critically acclaimed movie Lady Bird. Aged 20, she was born in California.
“People can be harsh on Amy, but she’s always been my favourite March sister,” the actress says. “She’s so misunderstood. She made her dream of travelling and becoming an artist come true and that left a mark on me. When you’re young, people always tell you: ‘No, you can’t do that.’ Amy said, ‘Why not?’”
She adds: “To prepare to play her, I started looking at old pictures of myself and listening to the music and reading the books I did when I was 12. When you’re that young, your emotions are at your fingertips. Amy is very dramatic and everything she does means the world to her at that moment — if you can’t go to a party when you’re 12, it’s the end of the world!”
Emily Watson – Marmee March
Who does she play? Margaret “Marmee” March is the girls’ mother and the heart of the family. She seeks to raise her girls with good morals and strong characters, encouraging them to be charitable and forgiving.
Where have I seen her before? Emily Watson brings some real star power to Little Women. She recently played Yvonne Carmichael in the thriller Apple Tree Yard, and has also starred in Genius, Testament of Youth, The Theory of Everything and The Book Thief.
Angela Lansbury – Aunt March
Who does she play? The girls’ great-aunt March is a rich widow and a wonderful character. She’s temperamental, judgemental, disapproving and strict – but she also has a wicked sense of humour and secretly loves her family.
Where have I seen her before? Dame Angela Lansbury is 92 years old and has spent most of her life on stage and on screen. She starred in Gaslight, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and Murder She Wrote.
Michael Gambon – Mr Laurence
Who does he play? Mr Laurence is the March family’s wealthy neighbour, and grandfather to a boy called Laurie who arrives to live with him at the beginning of the story. He’s lonely in his mansion and often cross with Laurie, but he takes a fatherly role with the March girls while their parents are away and develops a friendship with Beth, who he coaxes to practice on his piano.
Where have I seen him before? You must recognise Michael Gambon: he’s starred as everyone from Albus Dumbledore to Jules Maigret. Recently he played Sir Alastair McKinnon in the TV series Fearless and Henry Tyson in Fortitude.
Jonah Hauer-King – Laurie Laurence
Who does he play? Laurie is the “boy next door” who lives with his rich grandfather Mr Laurence. Although attractive and charming, he is a little lonely: his parents have died, and he can never live up to his grandfather’s expectations. He befriends the March sisters.
Where have I seen him before? You may recognise Jonah’s face from his appearance in Howards End as Paul Wilcox – the family’s youngest son who had second thoughts about his hasty engagement to Helen Schlegel.
Dylan Baker – Mr March
Who does he play? Mr March is lovingly called “father” by his girls. Formerly wealthy, he lost his fortune and doomed his family to genteel poverty – not that they resent his too much. He serves as a chaplain in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Where have I seen him before? Broadway star Dylan Baker also has an impressive CV, with credits including Blindspot, The Americans and The Good Wife.
Julian Morris – John Brooke
Who does he play? John Brooke is employed as a tutor to Laurie. He begins to spend time with the March sisters and (slight spoiler alert!) falls in love with Meg, ultimately marrying her despite Aunt March’s objections.
Where have I seen him before? Julian Morris has been all over TV recently. You may recognise him as Wren Kingston in Pretty Little Liars, or Adam Berryman in the mini-series Man in an Orange Shirt. He played Ryan in New Girl, and Prince Philip in Once Upon a Time.
Mark Stanley – Professor Bhaer
Who does he play? (Slight spoiler alert!) Professor Bhaer comes into the story a little later, as a penniless German immigrant in New York who had been a famous professor in Berlin. He and Jo become friends while she’s pursuing a literary career and he ultimately persuades her to marry him.
Where have I seen him before? A beardless Mark Stanley stars in Love, Lies and Records as James. He’s also been in Broken, Dickensian and – of course – Game of Thrones, as Grenn, Jon Snow’s buddy in the Night’s Watch.
Little Women airs at 8/7c on Sundays on PBS Masterpiece
from Radio Times http://bit.ly/2rZ49sB
