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‘Pride & Prejudice’ Helmer Joe Wright Talks Film’s Internet Legacy — And How Emma Thompson Improvised Charlotte Lucas’ Meme-Worthy Speech

'Pride & Prejudice' director Joe Wright reflected on the film's internet legacy, revealing that one of its memed lines was improvised by Emma Thompson

On the heels of the 20th anniversary of Oscar-nominated Pride & Prejudice, helmer Joe Wright reflected on his Austenian adaptation’s second life in the internet era, calling it “strange” and “kind of extraordinary,” as well as ultimately “very nice, very gratifying.” Particularly, the filmmaker revealed that among the most-discussed and much-memed speeches in the period drama — delivered by Claudie Blakley’s Charlotte Lucas — was improvised by writer Emma Thompson. Wright also discussed another viral moment from the film, the hand flex from Matthew Macfadyen ‘s Mr. Darcy — something he had shotlisted and was “very specific” about including in the pic. “And it was a day where, we were running out of time and the weather was crappy and I knew I wanted to convey this sense in which our bodies are cleverer than our brains, and the electricity that moves between them, and him kind of trying to shake it off, I remember talking to Matthew about that.

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