34-year-old Scottish actor Jack Lowden has taken on an even greater challenge. He’s going to be playing Mr. Darcy in a new adaptation of Jane Austen’s very popular novel, Pride and Prejudice. His casting is an encouraging and notable step in representing classic literary figures of color, both on-screen and off. Lowden is particularly thrilled to dismantle the barriers in casting decisions. He humorously noted that being a ginger Mr. Darcy is “one of the great last barriers to break down.”
In addition to playing Mr. Darcy, Lowden is honing his spycraft skills. He’s recently had his head down over BAFTA-nominated TV series Slow Horses. He spoke about his own training experience while working with an ex-MI6 officer, illustrating just how much preparation goes into playing espionage roles. So MI6 don’t work too much in the wet weather,” he joked, noting that, “Perhaps it’s ’cause they’re overseas loads.
Writer-director-star Lowden has a lot of love for his fellow actors. He secretly, or maybe not so secretly, thinks that Matthew Macfadyen is one of the best actors in the business. He shares deep regard for his fellow man, most notably through his sensitive, clever performance alongside British actor Martin Freeman. The two will be starring jointly for the first time in David Ireland’s forthcoming West End theatre production, The Fifth Step. The world premiere production is set to open at Soho Place Theatre on 12th May.
Lowden shared his feelings about The Fifth Step and how he enjoys its dark humor. He is convinced that laughter is “the best medicine” and one of the best tools for our “self-healing.” The actor’s willingness to engage with difficult issues in the name of telling a great story reveals the thoughtful, provocative artist at work.
Freeman, 53, imparted lessons learned from their time working together in the acting universe. He commented on the challenges of being followed by fans, saying, “Just by people, sometimes follow you around. And they think you don’t know and of course you do know.” He further added, “It’s annoying because they think you don’t know they are doing it. So occasionally I do just turn round and go ‘look, what do you want?’”
Lowden is excited to prepare for his dual roles in both The Fifth Step and Pride and Prejudice. For him, it’s all about what these performances are going to mean to audiences. He stated, “I quite like the idea of being a ginger Darcy,” reinforcing his belief that such casting choices can play a pivotal role in challenging traditional norms within the arts.
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