Finding the right actors for a production like Pride and Prejudice is a skilled job. While producers and directors always have some idea of who they'd like, they couldn't get the cast lined up without the help of a casting director.
In this case, Producer Sue Birtwistle knew from the outset that Colin Firth would be ideal for Darcy.
Once Elizabeth and Darcy were cast, the team moved onto finding the rest of the Bennet family. With five Bennet girls to cast, they ended up seeing just about every actress between 15 and 28. It was quite a challenge to find people who not only had the wit and charisma to do the script justice, but also had the right period air.
At the first audition the actors read a few scenes in front of the producer and director, and if they had the right presence at that point, they moved on to a screen test. They were dressed up in period costume and given the full hair and make-up. At this stage, the team could really assess whether the actors would be right for the characters.
But of course when it came to the more established actors such as Colin Firth and Alison Steadman, there was no need to audition. They were just sent the scripts and offered the part. Once they'd been persuaded to accept, it just remained for their agent to negotiate the deal.
