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Pride & Prejudice director reveals writer Emma Thompson improvised much-memed 'no money, no prospects' speech

'Pride & Prejudice' director Joe Wright reveals writer Emma Thompson 'miraculously' improvised Charlotte's iconic 'I'm 27' speech.

After earning herself an Academy Award with her Sense and Sensibility script, Thompson leant her pen to another Jane Austen adaptation — and helped nail down a speech that would inspire two decades worth of memes and angsty birthday cakes. One of the scenes they worked on was Charlotte Lucas' (Claudie Blakley) impassioned speech to Elizabeth Bennet ( Keira Knightley), who is horrified to learn that her best friend has accepted a proposal from the bumbling Mr Collins ( Tom Hollander). Wright previously praised Thompson's work on the dialogue on the Pride & Prejudice DVD director's commentary for the film, noting that Charlotte's speech "feels like it's written by an actor.

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