Marisa Abela, who grabbed eyeballs as Yasmin Kara-Hanani, the ambitious investment banker in the series, Industry, plays Elizabeth Bennett to Harris Dickinson’s Darcy in Audible’s retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
It was Elizabeth’s wit that the 28-year-old actor first fell in love with. “It’s what so many people love about her,” Marisa says over a video call from London. “While I was preparing to play her, I enjoyed her stubbornness, the moments she toys with people, or is genuinely angry, and when she has to overcome the obstacle of her pride.”
Timeless tale
Pride and Prejudice, first published in 1813, continues to resonate with readers across generations. “It is a classic love story, and also about people getting in their own way,” Marisa says. “As a reader, you are always willing these people to get out of their way and connect with one another. We can see where it’s heading long before they can. That’s joyful and enjoyable for a reader or listener, and one of the reasons people feel so close to the book.”
Pride and Prejudice has inspired countless adaptations from the classic 1995 BBC series starring Colin Firth to Bridget Jones’s Diary. Marisa finds the six-part BBC series iconic. “Growing up, I watched it often with my mum. It’s what I showed my partner when I got this job, as he’d never read Pride and Prejudice. Colin Firth just is Mr. Darcy,” Marisa says laughing.
As close as possible
Being an Audible adaptation means you can be as close to the book as possible, Marisa says. “It’s such an immersive experience. It felt like we were in Jane Austen’s world.” The adaptation offers an interior perspective from Elizabeth. “It was great to be able to do the voiceover, as well as her speaking to everyone else.”
Elizabeth, Marisa says, shows bravado in the beginning of the book. “She’s speaking to Darcy, her mother, and sisters from a place of hurt. She’s been burned a little bit, and has got these walls up. Having the first-person narrative was great, because it meant I let the audience into her internal state. I played Elizabeth’s intention of shaming and punishing Mr. Darcy with as much vigour as she would have.”
Read and play
The scene where Darcy tells Elizabeth how he feels about her was especially rewarding for Marisa. “It’s such an iconic moment. I was excited to see how that scene would play out. It was enjoyable creating that moment with Harris (Dickinson). There’s something amazing about being able to read and play at the same time, discovering the words that have been in your mind for a significant period of time. It felt alive and spontaneous.”
Harris Dickinson in Audible’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice
| Photo Credit:
Yoshitaka Kono
The voiceover was demanding, Marisa says. “You are alone in the moment. It’s often when Elizabeth is at her most reflective. There are times where you’re not responding to another actor’s intention, but to your thought process. Often with Elizabeth, things change in real time. So for example, when she’s reading Darcy’s letter, her mind is changing quite dramatically in a short period of time. Reading the letter in narration was challenging.”
A good exercise
Working with just your voice is an amazing gift, Marisa says. “As an actor, you have so many tools in your box, including your body, your face, your entire being… Having to work with just your voice and breath, forces you to be incredibly intentional. There’s a technicality to it as well that is enjoyable. It’s a good exercise for an actor to work that intensity with just one muscle.”
Apart from Marisa and Dickinson, the voice cast includes Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Bill Nighy as Mrs and Mr Bennett, Will Poulter as Mr Wickham and Glenn Close as Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The scenes with Dickinson were recorded in order, says Marisa. “We were able to take these characters from beginning to end. It felt like we were reading this book together. The dynamic of that first meeting through to the last scene was a journey. It was done over two days. It was exciting to find our version of this relationship.”
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Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Marisa says was incredible. “Her interpretation of Mrs Bennett makes this adaptation different from all the others. She captures the eccentricities of Mrs Bennett and the vibe that we are used to, in a completely different way. She gives Mrs Bennett a gravitas. She doesn’t comment on Mrs. Bennett, nor does she play her as a hysterical woman. She plays her as a mother who is desperate to save her daughters. I can’t wait for people to hear her Mrs. Bennett, it just puts a whole new spin on the character.”
There are a lot of flourishes around who Elizabeth is, says Marisa. “She’s incredibly witty and smart. Life for Elizabeth is a chess game she’s trying to win. I wanted to make sure I was quick enough to keep up with her. Falling for Darcy subtly changes Elizabeth. It doesn’t turn her into a completely different person, but it does soften her, and that softness while maintaining how powerful and intelligent she is, was the balance that struck me.”
If Elizabeth Bennett were alive today, Marisa says she would be largely the same. “She’s an incredibly modern woman, I’m sure she’d be trying to enjoy her life in all that she does.”
Pride and Prejudice is available on Audible
Published – September 09, 2025 05:52 pm IST
