Frank Dillane, who plays John Willoughby in the new big-screen adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, has admitted he is bracing for a hostile reaction to his portrayal of one of the author's most infamous rakes.
The 35-year-old actor, known for leading Fear The Walking Dead for four seasons, said he is 'more nervous about the hatred that might come with it' than about attracting fan attention, as he anticipates public anger over his character's treatment of Marianne Dashwood.
Playing a character fans love to hate
Willoughby, who enchants the romantic younger sister Marianne (played by Esmé Creed-Miles, daughter of Samantha Morton) before abandoning her, is a figure Austen fans relish despising, much like Mr Wickham in Pride and Prejudice. Dillane, opposite Daisy Edgar-Jones as heroine Elinor, joked about being shouted at in the street: 'You ghosted Marianne! Why didn't you marry her?!'
Despite the apprehension, Dillane was drawn to the role because of the chance to reinterpret a character with 'a lot of baggage'. He said he felt he could offer a different take after speaking with director Georgia Oakley about her vision for the film.
A fresh take on Austen's classic
This version of Sense and Sensibility is described as more earthy and biting than the celebrated 1995 adaptation starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, while remaining faithful to Austen's text. Dillane had not seen the earlier film before being cast and deliberately avoided it to focus on reinventing the part with Oakley and Diana Reid's script.
His preparation included consulting the women in his life about their perceptions of Willoughby before approaching the book. He acknowledged that modern dating terminology such as 'love-bombing' and 'ghosting' now applies to behaviour like Willoughby's, but he remains 'very, very much Team Willoughby'.
Defending the 'tragic' Willoughby
Dillane argued that Willoughby is a tragic figure whose heart is also broken, and that it is 'cruel and unfair' to blame him for 'burning in the same fire that everyone else is burning in'. He pointed out that the Dashwood sisters themselves assess suitors' wealth and status as they face losing their home, adding: 'I feel he is as much a victim of the times as everyone else and I don't believe he is manipulative.'
He described the role as an opportunity to investigate the archetypes of the libertine and the cad, and expressed love for Willoughby's 'love and joy and passion and poetry and exuberance'.
A family of actors and early roles
Dillane comes from an acting family: his father is Stephen Dillane, of Game of Thrones fame, and his mother is Naomi Wirthner, known for Slow Horses. His first credited role was as Christopher in the 1997 film Welcome to Sarajevo, where he remembers meeting and playing with Woody Harrelson. He later played a young Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which he called 'a dream come true'.
Asked about the possibility of playing James Bond, Dillane laughed off the idea of a quick confession, saying he is open to whatever comes his way rather than having a list of characters he wants to play.
Sense and Sensibility is in UK cinemas from Friday, September 25.
