INTERVIEW: The Cast of ‘Mr. Malcolm’s List’ Talks Playing in the Regency Era

Mr. Malcolm’s List, the Regency-era romance movie in theaters now, feeds right into our dream of living in a time of romance (at least, the fictionalized version of it) and the feeling of getting to question every motive of your beloved. Yes, I’m thinking of Lizzie Bennet’s struggle with her feelings towards Mr. Darcy when he doesn’t seem to even like her but it is applicable to most all Regency-era stories, and it is especially true of Mr. Malcolm’s List! Based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Suzanne Allain (who also wrote the screenplay), the movie takes us through the love story of Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto) and the “advice” of her friend Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton) as the two try to understand Mr. Malcolm (Sope Dìrísù) and his infamous list.

Getting to speak with Ashton and her counterpart, Theo James (who plays Captain Henry Ossory), was a wonderful look into the creation of the film and just how much fun the cast seemed to have together in bringing this time period to life. “Oh, it was a pleasure really,” Ashton said when I asked about getting to have some fun with Julia in the Regency era. “I mean, really nothing nasty about having to get dressed up in fantastic costumes and have a really jolly time with a great group of people. You know, what’s nice about this film is it feels like a very kind film. It doesn’t feel like we ever go into territory that feels too turbulent or distressing in any way. So it’s super light and super romantic. And I think that’s one of the draws about Regency era romance is it feels very simple and pure. And, even though it has its complications, it never gets too messy.”

You can see our full interview with Zawe Ashton and Theo James here!

The joy of the Regency Era

For director Emma Holly Jones, it was about bringing a real beauty to these characters and their love story without making it feel as if they were characters written to be “white” but instead were reflective of the actors bringing them to life. “I think we chose to cast it in a way that was very important that we made these characters these actors own, you know, that they never felt gimmicky and that they were not playing a white person, that they were playing Sope’s version of Mr. Malcolm and Freida’s version of Selina Dalton,” she said. “And so I think that’s a very new thing. Like well, you know, call a spade a spade, not many people have done that. And I think for me as a director, it was really important in that Regency romantic, helpless, romantic world you’re talking about also allow these actors to find a space to really make this their own so they can feel all those things and give you all those moments and give you all that chemistry. And a big part of that was allowing their interpretations and their cultures to come into these characters. And then those characters were so brought to life through their own souls and their own feeling. And a romcom hinges on the chemistry and you know, those two, my God, did they have it.”

You can see our full interview with Emma Holly Jones here!

Mr. Malcolm’s List is in theaters now!

(featured image: Universal Pictures)