Lily James and Bella Heathcote on Slaying Zombies and Staying Serious in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

The Bennet Sisters Get Deadly

In a film that marries Jane Austen’s timeless romance with the gut-munching horror of the undead, it would be easy for the cast to lean into camp. But not Lily James and Bella Heathcote. The duo, who play Elizabeth and Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, deliver performances so grounded and earnest you’d almost forget that half the frame is crawling with zombies. As uncovered in the exclusive interview documented in Screenshot (550).png, James and Heathcote approached the material with the same gravity as a BBC period drama—only with more beheadings.

“There’s not a wink or a nudge or a raised eyebrow to even a second of their performances,” notes the source text. And it’s true. By refusing to acknowledge the absurdity, they let the zombie element heighten the class tensions already simmering in Austen’s original work. The film turns peasants into the undead, drawing a sharp line between the privileged Bennett sisters and the monstrous masses—a visual metaphor for the social revolution rattling Pre-Victorian England.

Keeping It Real Amidst the Undead

James and Heathcote are no strangers to period pieces. James shot to fame as Lady Rose in Downton Abbey and later waltzed into the title role in Disney’s live-action Cinderella. Heathcote, meanwhile, held her own opposite Johnny Depp in Dark Shadows. But Pride and Prejudice and Zombies demanded a unique balancing act: honour the beloved source material while treating zombie-slaying as a matter-of-fact chore.

In the interview from Screenshot (550).png, the actresses reveal they looked to previous versions of their characters for inspiration—most notably the 1995 BBC miniseries starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, and the 2005 film with Keira Knightley. Yet they refused to mimic. “On how their performances differ from other interpretations” is one of the bullet points listed in the original text, suggesting they injected fresh energy into Elizabeth’s wit and Jane’s serenity. James’s Elizabeth is sharper, more battle-ready; Heathcote’s Jane retains her kindness but wields a knife with unsettling calm.

Influences and Interpretations

Fans of Austen will recall that Elizabeth Bennet is defined by her intelligence and prejudice against Mr. Darcy. In this zombie-inflected world, that prejudice extends to the hordes outside the ballroom. James and Heathcote studied earlier portrayals to understand the emotional beats, then layered on the physicality of survival. The original interview mentions “how much they looked to previous versions of their characters” and “how the tone of the film affected their performances”—two questions that get at the heart of their craft. The tone, they explain, had to be deathly serious. Any wink would shatter the illusion.

Tone and Performance

Tone is everything in a genre-bender like this. Director Burr Steers (who also adapted the screenplay from Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel) wanted a film that felt like a straight-faced Austen adaptation, only with zombies. James and Heathcote bought in completely. According to the interview details in Screenshot (550).png, they discussed how the film’s tone directly influenced their choices on set. “If you play it as comedy, the horror loses its sting,” one could imagine them saying. The result is a movie that treats zombie attacks with the same gravity as a broken engagement—both are life-altering.

This approach also amplifies the class commentary. In Austen’s world, the Bennets are desperate to marry well. In Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the wealthy are safe behind high walls while the poor turn into monsters. By keeping their performances rooted in period sensibility, James and Heathcote make the zombie metaphor land harder. It’s not just a gimmick; it’s a mirror held up to 19th-century social hierarchies.

What’s Next: Baby Driver and The Neon Demon

Beyond slaying undead suitors, both actresses have major projects on the horizon. James will soon appear in Edgar Wright’s adrenaline-fueled heist film Baby Driver, where she plays the love interest of the title character, a getaway driver with tinnitus. The film is expected to showcase her versatility—from corsets to car chases. Heathcote, meanwhile, dove into the surreal horror of Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon, a fashion-world nightmare starring Elle Fanning. In that film, Heathcote plays a vampiric model, a role that trades zombie guts for metaphorical bloodlust.

The original interview in Screenshot (550).png dedicates a bullet point to “their characters in The Neon Demon & Baby Driver,” proving the actresses are riding a wave of high-profile genre projects. James’s role in Baby Driver is expected to be a breakout moment, pairing her with a stellar cast including Ansel Elgort and Jamie Foxx. Heathcote’s The Neon Demon has already earned buzz for its hypnotic, violent take on beauty.

But for now, the focus remains on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The film may sound like a lark, but James and Heathcote treat it with the respect of a classic—because at its core, it still is one. Just with more decapitations. As the source material from Screenshot (550).png makes clear, these two actresses never broke character, never rolled their eyes, and never let the absurdity get in the way of a perfectly aimed kick to a zombie’s head. That’s the kind of commitment that turns a gimmick into something genuinely memorable.

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