The third season of Sanditon comes to BritBox on 11 May, 2023. SOPHIE WINKLEMAN (Lady Susan) of The Chronicles of Narnia and Two and a Half Men fame speaks about her role, as Charlotte (Rose Williams) returns with her fiancé in tow, but is forced to come to terms with unresolved feelings for Colbourne (Ben Lloyd-Hughes).
What drew you to your part in Sanditon?
I really wanted to come back to Sanditon having been in season one. It was wonderful to work with everyone again, to learn the beautiful lines and see the stunning sets. It’s a really exquisite show to be part of. My character has flourished and grown more since the previous season, so it’s been a very fun, beautiful job.
Tell us about Lady Susan?
My character is a grand, highly thought-of figure in society, who is very well respected and revered. Due to her close friendship with the King, she is in a position to make things happen for Sanditon. Lady Susan takes a shine to Charlotte Heywood because she sees an innocent girl possibly going along the wrong path, and potentially sees her younger self in her. I think Lady Susan made a couple of wrong decisions along the way and is trying to steer Charlotte towards true love.
In season one, she was a very good person whose kindness radiated out of her, which was unusual for someone of her stature. It is rare to see someone so genuine and compassionate in her position. In this season, she gets to have some more fun, and it’s been very enjoyable to play.
What does Sanditon as a place mean to your character?
I think her life at court as the King’s Consort is probably very claustrophobic. The high stakes and high pressure life are full of gossip and intrigue around ladies in waiting. It’s a very closed atmosphere I assume, and I think Sanditon is a world of possibility for her with new paths and new horizons for Charlotte and now herself with Samuel Colbourne.
What types of things are the most fun to shoot for you?
It would have to be the contrast of the enormous group scenes within the truly stunning set, and the dresses and costumes are just so beautiful. The choreography and beauty of the huge group scenes are just a joyful contrast to when you get some time to breathe and really inhabit a smaller scene. In these, you really take pleasure in the acting and enjoy the lines with other actors in the scene. I think the contrast is the great gift of this job, with the huge set pieces and then the very intimate scenes. It’s a wonderful combination, offering great variety.
What’s your favourite thing about being a part of the show in general?
I think it’s the immersion into the period, from the costumes to the hair, and the words that you’re saying. It really transports you to another era, so does a lot of the work for us. It’s amazing to be part of an ensemble which are so brilliant at their jobs and makes our role as actors so much easier. Just the way you compose yourself, the way you speak the words, we are in such a casual era. To go back to some kind of formality, and you realise how oddly sexy it is, because everything’s so out there in this current century. There’s actually no intrigue at all, so going back to then, when everything had to be so covered up for the sake of propriety. Everything ripples under the surface and it’s quite a sensual experience.
How do you put yourself in a 19th century state of mind?
I think when everyone is so brilliant at their department, you slot in, read a bit of Jane Austen and you are kind of there. I think Rose in particular takes how they speak, how they hold themselves, and their behaviour in the period very seriously and it’s a very good influence on the rest of us. She’s quite inspiring to us, she’s very glued up on the details; how you’d hold your cup, how you’d rest your hands, how you’d hold your reticule. She’s very knowledgeable about it all and we take a lot of cues from her.
Why do you think Jane Austen’s novels are still so popular 200+ years after they were written?
They are just true. They are true about human beings; I don’t think we evolve and change nearly as much as we think we do. Our environments and habits do, but fundamentally we haven’t changed. Her wit and truth, compassion and her humour surrounding how daft humans are, whilst viewing them through a compassionate lens never gets tiring. And she’s very clever and funny, which is a rare combination.
What: Sanditon Sophie Winkleman interview (Lady Susan)
Where: Britbox Sanditon S3
When: From 11 May 2023
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