‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ Is Like ‘Ultra-feminism on Crack,’ Says Star

The cast of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

When Seth Grahame-Smith’s reinterpretation of Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice came out in 2009, the idea that the undead could populate the 19th century English countryside seemed ripe for a film adaptation. It’s taken almost six years for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to hit theaters, but when it does this Friday, fans will not be disappointed. Starring British actress Lily James as Elizabeth Bennet and Australian up-and-comer Bella Heathcote as her sister Jane, the film breathes new life into a story that has been depicted over and over again.

“It’s part of every English girl’s birthright,” James said of the original novel at a recent press day for the film at the London Hotel in Los Angeles. “I just think if you’re going to try and do Pride and Prejudice again, then you should try and make it strange and put zombies in it. I thought it was fun. I thought it was a new take. The fact that the Bennet sisters are this crew of zombie killers, where the women are doing the fighting, was a really brilliant opportunity because you don’t usually get that in that genre.”

In this version, the women are the warriors, trained to battle the zombies with swords, knives, and their own fists. The actresses playing the Bennet sisters — James, Heathcote, Suki Waterhouse, Ellie Bamber, and Millie Brady — trained together for a month ahead of filming in mid-2014 in preparation for the fight scenes.

James, who had previously learned sword fighting for a role in Wrath of the Titans, worked quickly to get in shape for the role. “I did a lot of boxing,” she said. “I go through phases of exercising a lot and not, and I was in a not phase. So I had to get strong and get fit. The Bennet sisters all trained together. We became really close, like actual sisters.”

Heathcote worked with a kung fu master for three months ahead of filming, which helped prepare her to do most of her own stunts in the film. “There’s the physical aspect, but there is a kind of spiritual aspect to it as well, something that was very grounding and centering,” the actress said of learning kung fu. “For me that was very helpful. I tend to be very anxious as a person so that was good. It’s the thing that was really good for me, but it’s also really hard work that I’m totally resisting now.” She counts herself lucky that as an actress there’s an opportunity to always learn new skills — even if she’s not always good at them.

“You get to check them off your list, like horsebacking riding,” Heathcote laughed. “Tried it, not good at it. I really had to put a lot of work in there. It really did not come naturally to me at all. And all these kids grew up in London and were like ‘Oh, when I went riding when I was 5.’”

In the original story, Austen depicts the sisters, especially Elizabeth, as strong, fearless women. That sensibility becomes externalized here, which was exciting for everyone involved, including the male actors.

Bella Heathcote and Lily James in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

“For me it just accentuated the original themes of the book,” said Douglas Booth, who plays Jane’s suitor, Mr. Bingley. “I’ve seen zombie films where someone’s chasing or they fight together to find a vaccination. But this isn’t that. It’s like, ‘How will that story that we know so well, that story that we love, survive and differ and change with this extraordinary circumstance of there being a zombie plague?’ And you kind of know how this turns out, but how’s it going to differ? They can really externalize their troubles and their frustrations. Now they can realize it, which is awesome to watch. That girl power.”

“It’s like ultra-feminism on crack,” added Jack Huston, who plays the villainous Mr. Wickham. “Coming from England where you’ve kind of seen every incarnation of Pride and Prejudice over and over again — brilliantly done, not taking anything away from that — but it’s nice to do and see something new. To witness characters being reinvented in certain ways. This gave you the freedom to do that because of the nature of the film.”

Heathcote agrees that the film feels feminist, especially since it puts the female characters in control. “We’re all fighting,” she said, noting that she hopes to continue to make movies where she can play kick-ass female characters. “We’re all saving the boys. They’re our damsels.”

For James, it was fun to reveal Elizabeth’s sexual tension with the brooding Mr. Darcy, played by Sam Riley, in a physical way. “Not to be too earnest, but it did feel like that sexual frustration and frustration with how things are came out,” the actress said. “The repression of the time came out in being able to fight and beat each other up and beat Darcy up. It actually really weirdly works, doesn’t it? I really did beat Sam up in that scene. He had bruises and stuff because I got too into it.”

The actors became fast friends onset, which is clear when you see them together during their press campaign for the film. Heathcote says they all hung out a lot throughout production and would have dinners together between shoots. That feeling has encouraged them all to root for a possible sequel — which is teased at the end of the film. “We had such fun making the movie,” Huston noted. “And I’m not just saying, ‘Oh, we had such fun.’ We really did, and we became really great friends off-camera. It’s something that we would probably all welcome the chance to go back and do again.”

As for the future, Heathcote isn’t allowed to reveal her next project yet, but James, who is also currently appearing in the miniseries War and Peace, is about to begin work on Edgar Wright’s new film Baby Driver. It’s a huge departure for the actress, mostly because she’s finally embarking on a project that doesn’t involve period costumes like her work in this, Cinderella, and Downton Abbey. “I play an American waitress, and it’s not period!” James laughed. “I had a costume fitting the other night, and she came [to my hotel] and brought my costumes in a bag. I was like ‘This is the first time I’ve had a fitting that wasn’t rail-to-rail dresses with huge petticoats and crowns.’ It’s really fun.”

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.