Esmé Creed-Miles has photographed life behind the scenes of the new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, in which she plays Marianne Dashwood. Vogue Australia’s October 2026 issue features the images and a conversation with the actor about making the film, which arrives in theaters on October 16.

The favorite frame

According to Vogue, Creed-Miles’s favorite picture shows co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones, who plays Elinor, looking toward the camera while being held by George MacKay, who plays Edward Ferrars. She says it could be the film’s poster. The photo was taken in about five minutes at golden hour on a windy ridge in Dartmoor, England, after a long and intense scene from near the end of the film. Although it is slightly out of focus, she says she let go of her perfectionism because she finds it beautiful.

She also recalls experimenting during a ball sequence by dragging out her shutter speed so the flash would sharpen her subjects while the background blurred. She admits she lost many images that day, but a few worked, including one of two dancers with a boom operator visible behind them. She says she has always been as interested in the process behind the camera as in what happens in front of it.

A story of sisters

The film is scripted by Diana Reid. Vogue describes the Austen novel as centered on the bond between Elinor, who holds the family together after their father’s death, and Marianne, who is passionate and hungry for experience. Frank Dillane plays the charming Willoughby. Emma Thompson previously adapted the novel into a well-loved film.

Creed-Miles and Edgar-Jones first met almost a decade ago as teenagers on the British indie film Pond Life, Edgar-Jones’s first film. Edgar-Jones says she has long felt protective of Creed-Miles in a big-sister way and considers her family. Creed-Miles says that trust between scene partners creates a safe space for vulnerability, and that the same applies to photography. She says she dislikes being photographed herself, so she was grateful Edgar-Jones let her take pictures. Edgar-Jones says it was fun, and Creed-Miles gave her a set of framed images as a wrap gift, which now hang in her home.

Playing Marianne

Creed-Miles says she relates to Marianne’s intensity and inner romanticism, but less to her zest for life, comparing her to girls at school she admired for going to parties. Vogue describes her performance as combative but rooted in passion rather than meanness.

The shoot took place last year over an English summer, with hand-dyed costumes and loose hair. Edgar-Jones says she was aware every day that the job was special. Creed-Miles, who usually forgets a film soon after finishing it, says looking through her photographs brought it all back: three days of dancing at the ball, time spent with cinematographer Arnaud Potier, and a final-day run across a beach with Edgar-Jones and MacKay.

“This is one of those rare, once-in-a-lifetime jobs,” she tells Vogue.

Source: vogue.com

Stock image for illustration: photo by wilhei on Pixabay