Odds and ends

Atlantic Film Festival press release

New fan reviews of Philadelphia Story on Driving Mr Spacey

And from eBay:

Illustrated Wilde screenplay

Philadelphia Story poster

Philadelphia Story flier set and program

Pride and Prejudice book with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth on the cover

Bedrooms and Hallways poster (has comic-book-ish stylised images of the cast)

Sunshine press kit

For those in Katrina's path: .

River King at Atlantic Film Festival

At last, the Atlantic Film Festival program is online. The River King is going to be screened at 7.30pm on Monday the 19th of September at the Oxford Theatre. Book online or by phone on 902-422-6965. You can also book in person from the 6th of September at Park Lane Mall, 2nd Floor, 5657 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Tickets are $15.

Ed Burns stars in this taut, crisply told Nova Scotia-shot thriller about the suspicious wintertime drowning of a private school student that may or may not be a murder. Director Nick Willing's use of seasonal locations, along with a deft combination of film noir-ish atmospheres balanced against supernatural touches makes this British-Canadian co-production a stylish, gripping thriller.

Adapted from Alice Hoffman's bestselling novel of the same name, The River King's acute social observations – the divisions between town and gown have never been better portrayed – and haunting blue/grey colour schemes help deliver an edge-of-your-seat cinematic experience.

Pride and Prejudice broadcast details

Friends of Firth reports the dates and times when the series and the new Pride and Prejudice Revisited documentary will be shown.

Documentary: 9.30-10.00pm BBC Four on Tuesday 13 September

Series: BBC Four on Tuesdays from 7-8pm and 8.30-9.30pm, starting on Tuesday 13 September. (So presumably it's showing on the 13th, 20th and 27th)

A Good Baby

Olds from Variety. Obviously this project didn't work out, though the movie was eventually made.

Thomas set to adopt 'Baby' with Dieckmann
Eric Olson
May 6, 1998

Henry Thomas, who appeared in the recent USA Network success "Moby Dick" and is in the current Live Entertainment release "Suicide Kings," has been cast to star in the indie adaptation of the Leon Rooke novel "A Good Baby."

Thomas portrays a recluse who finds a home for an abandoned baby in this Southern tale set in a small Appalachian community. He stars with David Strathairn ("L.A. Confidential," "Dolores Claiborne") and Jennifer Ehle ("Pride & Prejudice," "Paradise Road").

Tip from an old EhleNews post.

You guessed it

More Philadelphia Story reviews. Norm Seli of Blogway Baby offers mild approval of Ms Ehle's performance. The other review is from lamkayee of 5990 miles. From the wretched Babelfish translation (choose "Chinese - trad"), it appears somewhat unfavourable.

"Beauty, danger and menace"

In heaven with Ehle
10 May 1997
Mirror
(c) 1997 Mirror Group Ltd

Alan Bleasdale rates Jennifer Ehle "the most extraordinary actress of her generation".

"She has a quality of absolute mystery. You have no idea what's she's going to do next, which is so rare," says the playwright.

"It's also fairly bloody obvious that she's extremely beautiful, but there's more to her than beauty. I had my heart set on her playing the part all the way through the writing. She has so many colours - beauty, danger and menace."

It's the first time Bleasdale has written a thriller, despite the finest of pedigrees - Jake's Progress, GBH, Boys From The Blackstuff to name a few.

"It drove me up the wall," he says. "I'm not good at puzzles, so I sat surrounded by hundreds of pages of notes listing where every character was at any moment."

The drama follows a war correspondent (Tim Dutton) who falls in love and marries Melissa (Ehle) after the sudden death of his wife. The romance casts him deep into a murderous web of intrigue and double-dealing.

Another great wonder

Jennifer Ehle is credited for the 1994 TV film La Récréation on IMDB. Apparently she played the part of "Nadine". All I can find is that it was broadcasted on France 2 on the 14th of December, 1996 and on the 23rd of February, 1994. Anyone have any information at all about this? Is there a French equivalent of the British Library Sound Archives?* It's interesting - and probably a mistake - because the film is in French and has an otherwise all-French cast. Not impossible, though, because this interview indicates that Ms Ehle does speak some French.

[*edit: apparently so- the INA]

Pride and Prejudice rebroadcasted

AustenBlog reports that Pride and Prejudice is to be rebroadcasted on BBC 4 in September.

That link also says that the new Pride And Prejudice Revisited documentary, "about its history, impact and enduring appeal", is going to be shown on the 13th of September on BBC 4 not BBC 1 as reported earlier.

1995 vs 2005

There have been several comparisons between the 1995 and 2005 versions of Pride and Prejudice, but this Telegraph article is one of the few that actually has quotes from those involved in making them.

David Bamber, who played Mr Collins for the television adaptation, agreed that Firth, and Ehle, would be a tough act to follow. "I do think these things stand or fall on casting," he said. "I think Jennifer was amazing even though she was comparatively inexperienced. Colin, I think, was the definitive Darcy.
...
Ehle said: "I remember when we were about to make our version of Pride and Prejudice, there were so many letters to The Times and other newspapers saying how dare the BBC spend money on remaking this when the definitive film version already exists with Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson. So you never know. Nobody owns Pride and Prejudice. It's out there in the public domain, and it's good that people are taking a fresh look at it."

Bah to Prof. Klingel Ray.

Pride and Prejudice jackpot

Eureka. A&E's site "Behind the scenes of Pride and Prejudice" has been unearthed. It contains a ton of quotes from the cast and crew, many of which are in the Perspectives pack mentioned earlier. The A&E link is now dead, but was mirrored on Eras of Elegance, which is also defunct. Thank goodness that Google cache managed to rescue the content. Since it's too precious to lose, I've copied and pasted the whole thing to the archives.

Here's a taste: Jennifer Ehle talks about her relationship with Jane Austen and the book of Pride and Prejudice.

Jennifer Ehle, who played Elizabeth Bennet, first read Pride and Prejudice when she was twelve years old, and "fell in love with it, right from the very first page." Ehle remarks: "I still love it now -- even after working intensely on the television adaptation... That really is the test of something -- that you still admire and enjoy it after being so very close to it. As soon as I get a little time to myself, I’ll be back with Jane Austen, one of my favorite authors. [Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park] are the only two I haven’t read as yet, and I’m looking forward to getting to know them."

There's more about the costumes, how she prepared for the role, her views on Elizabeth, and on the piece in general. Oh, just read it all.

"Go home"

CapnHook from the BroadwayWorld message boards quotes Rosemary Harris as saying the following at the SETC:

"I asked my daughter if she had any advice for all the young aspiring actors, here. She said:
'Yes, acting can't be taught - go home.'"

Heh.

P.S.

A few people have been asking when there'll be a reply to the questions. I don't know, but probably quite a while - weeks, months perhaps. Wasn't kidding about the list being War-and-Peace-sized; there were six dense A4 pages with 130+ questions. Quite a feat just to read, let alone answer.

A reminder: The Philadelphia Story is closing in one week. Don't miss out.

River King locations

The Halifax Regional Municipality site has a list of locations where The River King was filmed.

Possession scripts

From Simply Scripts, two versions of Possession. One is a transcript of the film, the other a vastly different script from 1996 in PDF format, apparently by the same screenwriter.

Also, a short and sweet Philadelphia Story review at IMDB.

Magazines

Quite a bunch of magazines featuring Ms Ehle on eBay. All but the last have decent scans.

Flicks, 1999

Telegraph magazine, 2005

Culture, 2002

Empire, 1997

Metro Life, 2005

And another list of links for your reading pleasure: various Livejournalers' experiences of The Philadelphia Story.

"pleasantly surprised"

"just like the movie minus Kate, Jimmy, and Cary"

"She was amazing"

The River King in Ireland

Hot off the press. Eddie McIlwaine of the Belfast Telegraph reports:

Singer-songwriter Lee Rogers (28), who plays the Pavilion in Belfast tonight is looking forward to the release of the movie The River King here in his native city.

His song How Will I Sleep? is on the soundtrack of the supernatural thriller based on the bestseller of the same name by American writer Anne Hoffman.

The movie, starring Ed Burns and Jennifer Ehle, was shot on location in Novia Scotia by Myriad Films.

It is the story of how the spirit of a little boy found murdered in a river bed helps detectives track down his killers.

"Apparently the mood of my song which is a bluesy composition suited the atmosphere of the film," explained Lee.
...
The River King is expected to be released in the next couple of months and will be at a cinema near you in Belfast.

PS. New(?) photo up on the Old Vic site.

Skip if sensitive

Well, there have been worse, but this Guardian Series review of The Philadelphia Story is particularly...targeted. Let's just say it's titled "Lord, it's an Ehle of a shame". There's another owchy review at 50 connect too. A nicer one can be found at Kat's blog.

Jennifer Ehle is also mentioned in this snarky Age article about the excessive prettiness of Austen heroines onscreen.

Twinkly, bosomy Jennifer Ehle looked as if English cream ran in her veins in the celebrated 1995 BBC miniseries...

There's an interesting photo comparison of actresses who have played Elizabeth at Secondat.

[edit: bah, the Age article might require registration; try BugMeNot if you can't be bothered registering]

The Journey of John Ehle

It's probably foolhardy to call an 80-year-old Southern gentleman "cute", but I think I can be forgiven. Look:

Ehle recently visited his wife and daughter in England. "I told Jennifer at her 26th birthday party that I wish she had been twins," Ehle says. "I'd like to have two of her. Her career is a treasure to me."

That's part of an article about John Ehle's rich life and career, from the Greensboro News & Record in 1996.

More on the documentary

Paul has sent in a bit more information about the documentary. He wrote to the BBC, who replied that they can't comment on who didn't agree to the interviews, but that there are interviews with Andrew Davies, Sue Birtwistle, director Simon Langton, costume designer Dinah Collin and actors David Bamber, Adrian Lukis and Lucy Briers.

Three weeks' notice

Cheers to Paul from KeiraWeb.com for this news about the Pride and Prejudice documentary:

I now have a date for the P&P 10th anniversary documentary - Tuesday 13th September, 10.35pm on BBC1.

However, remember the report that Ms Ehle probably wasn't going to participate.

Update

Well, the list of questions has been sent. Contrary to what was said in the "Closed" post below, all questions submitted were forwarded in their original form, not paraphrased.

Pop quiz. How much does she rock?
a) more than Metallica
b) more than Uluru
c) more than Dwayne Johnson
d) more than Gibraltar
e) all of the above

Bullseye

Fashion spreads breast kept secret
17 May 1996
PR Week

The successful American "Fashion Targets Breast Cancer" campaign was an obvious role model for Aurelia. The main thrust of the campaign was identical, though the timing was changed - in the States it co-oincided with New York Fashion Week. On launch day, 22 April, models and celebrities, mostly women, were asked to wear T-shirts bearing the FTBC logo and some - Jennifer Ehle, Jane Horrocks and Bruce Oldfield - appeared at a press call at Marble Arch. An 80-strong group headed by Amanda Wakeley and Caryn Franklin staged a walk down Oxford Street, the celebrities visiting each store supporting the campaign. T-shirts were made available nationwide by major fashion retailers, many of whom provided window space and promotional support.

Big Stone Gap

Trigiani bridges the gap
Margaret Fosmoe
12 February 2002
South Bend Tribune
(Copyright 2002)

Trigiani is writing the screenplay for "Big Stone Gap" and will direct it. Potential cast members include actors Hugh Jackman, Marisa Tomei, Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Ehle.

The Observer (Notre Dame and Saint Mary's student paper) also backs this up:

Actresses Trigiani is considering for the starring role of Ave Maria include Toni Collette, Marisa Tomei, Cate Blanchett, and Jennifer Ehle, star of A&E's Pride and Prejudice.

Note the date, though.

PS. Obligatory Philadelphia Story review: a new one from WhatsOnStage.

Closed

Submissions for the fan interview are now closed. I'm on draft #3 of the list - I've tried to retain the jist of your question while cutting as much fat as possible, to keep it down to Ulysses size rather than War and Peace. Here are a sample of questions.

Are you still doubting whether you should've taken to writing rather than acting? Was there a "crossroads" moment? Are you writing now - what sort? Are you ever going to pursue it seriously?

What advice would you give an aspiring actress? Is there something that someone told that you really remember, or something you've learned over the years that you wished you knew earlier?

If your instincts differ from a director's insight into a character, which do you follow?

Is there a particular line in your work that you were excited to say? eg. "I have to pee"

What was the most memorable bottle of wine you’ve ever had, and what was the occasion?

Why were you credited for The Hole and Born Romantic?

You've said that acting liberated you from shyness. What was the breakthrough moment?

Friends

This is from an interview with Julianna Margulies.

Anguish on the road to riches
By Luaine Lee.
22 March 1998
Sunday Telegraph
(c) 1998 Nationwide News Proprietary Ltd

"People I haven't seen for a long time assume I've changed. That pisses me off. It's only been four years.

"I feel very lucky to have friends in my life who are so grounded and real and not in the business."

Two of her best friends are Australian actress Cate Blanchett and Britain's Jennifer Ehle, with whom she co-starred last year in the Bruce Beresford film Paradise Road.

"They are the most grounded actors I've met," she says.

"We all met when we were at the same place in our careers. We're just able to be with each other and not let anything else affect it."

[Update on The Questions: there are a few hours left for those in UTC-12. Meanwhile, have been compiling them. Scary.]

The Inquisition

The questions referred to below have now been answered: look here

Are you sitting down? Take a deep breath in...out. Now, take a look out your window. Yes, those are pigs flying across a blue moon. No, it's not the apocalypse.

Jennifer Ehle has decided to do an e-mail interview. With us.

(Let's pause a moment while you reattach your jaw and get back on your chair)

I have a few (million) questions already, but here's your opportunity to submit questions you'd like to ask her.

1. You can submit your questions in this forum thread - remember, registration is not required. You can also send them to jenniferehle@gmail.com (which is the blog's e-mail, not Ms Ehle's).

2. The deadline for submission is midnight in your timezone, Friday the 19th of August (take pity, please don't leave it to the last minute!)

3. Please try not to submit questions that can be answered by other sources (eg. Google), or that have been answered in other interviews, unless the answer is likely to have changed over time. Have a look at the interviews and transcripts on the fansite. Also look through the archives here (the sidebar on the left).

4. If there are way too many submissions, I'll screen the questions according to these criteria: originality, relation to Ms Ehle's work, depth, wittiness. There's no official limit to the number of questions we can ask, but it's probably better not to send her a War-and-Peace sized brick.

5. If you want to be credited, submit your name and e-mail address along with your questions.

This post is forward-dated so it will remain at the top until the deadline. There will continue to be updates daily, so just scroll past this for news.

Submissions are now closed.

Messages to Jennifer Ehle

Sorry, the guestbook is now closed.

You can still post letters to Ms Ehle at the Old Vic:

Old Vic Theatre
The Cut, Waterloo Road
London
SE1 8NB
United Kingdom

Paradise Road on ITV1

An EhleNewser has posted a reminder that Paradise Road will be shown on ITV1 at 10.10pm this Saturday, August 20th. Definitely worth staying up til midnight - along with Jennifer Ehle, it features Glenn Close, Frances McDormand and Cate Blanchett.

The Harris hat method

This is the first of a series of articles about Rosemary Harris and John Ehle, dug up from a newspaper database. There are mentions of their daughter, but they're interesting in their own right. This one, about Rosemary Harris' performance in Hay Fever in 1986, is the earliest mention of Ms Ehle in the media that I can find.

“I'll make all my students rehearse in their favorite hats,” she says. “We'll call it the hat method.” Miss Harris is gentle and gracious, showing no hint of the histrionic Mrs. Bliss, who, when upset, lifts hand to forehead and trills, “I would like someone to play something very beautiful for me on the piano.”

But Miss Harris's 16-year-old daughter, Jennifer, who is at lunch, teases her mother that she “has picked up little bits of Judith. You can be bossy about getting the laundry.”

“My voice projection has gone up a bit,” Miss Harris concedes. [more]

Since these articles are quite long, I'm going to backdate them and post extracts on the front page. Follow the links given to read the full text.

PS. Remember, the deadline for submission of questions for the fan interview is midnight tonight, your time zone. Don't miss out! I'm taking the weekend to edit and format, then sending off the list on Monday.

Backbeat reviews

Other reviews of Backbeat exist, but these are the only ones I can find that actually mention Ms Ehle.

'Backbeat' captures The Beatles before the hysteria
Yardena Arar
15 April 1994
Los Angeles Daily News

Dorff and Hart are tremendous as Sutcliffe and Lennon; Hart especially has captured the feeling of Lennon even if he's not exactly the spitting image of the late rock star. Although Astrid gets short shrift in Softley's screenplay - she's basically seen through Stu's eyes - Lee at least conveys a sense of the blend of sex appeal and intellect that so thoroughly enchanted both men.

In contrast, John's then-girlfriend Cynthia (Jennifer Ehle) comes across as a sweet but intellectually limited individual who will never offer him the challenge he would later find in Yoko Ono.

Forgotten Beatle's tale told
Sharon Johnson
9 May 1994
The Harrisburg Patriot

Gary Bakewell and Chris O'Neill capture the look and sound of McCartney and Harrison while Jennifer Ehle (the daughter of actress Rosemary Harris) is suitably poignant as Cynthia Powell who will achieve her dream of being Mrs. John Lennon, though not for long.

"Backbeat" is a raw, energetic, exciting movie about a raw, energetic, exciting young band fighting for success and the deserter who preferred to pursue his own dream.

A picture is worth £12.99

There's a 10th anniversary edition of Pride and Prejudice due out on the 5th of September. It appears as if there aren't many new features, but at least there's a pretty new cover with Mr Firth looking broody and Ms Ehle looking Lizzy.

October?

The extra from Alpha Male, who posted a summary of the storyline earlier on IMDB, has written again to say that she has heard rumours that the film will be released in October. This isn't substantiated though, and she stresses that she's not sure. Still, touch wood.

Together We Read update

Earlier, there was a post about John Ehle's book The Road being chosen for the North-Carolina-wide reading and discussion project Together We Read. A new article from the Citizen Times reports on the project's progress. Of particular interest is the gala event on the 18th of September, where Mr Ehle will do a couple of talks about the book. There will also be tours of the railroad that is the book's subject.

Announcement

This blog is NOT created by, endorsed by, run by or otherwise affiliated with Jennifer Ehle herself. She does not visit it or read the comments; the interview is a one-off, once-in-a-lifetime privilege. I'm very sorry for not making this explicit earlier.

It's a Tony!

Actress upstages mother at awards
By Joanna Coles
6 June 2000
The Times

Ehle, who is starring in a revival of Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing, thanked both the playwright and the British director, David Leveaux, before focusing her attention nearer to home. "I wouldn't be here without my beautiful, beautiful, beautiful parents," she said. "Thank you for teaching me to walk and talk and to read."

Doubleplay: a view from backstage and the red carpet
By Christopher Rawson
5 June 2000
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
(Copyright 2000)

Backstage, winners went through a series of rooms being interviewed by TV, radio, photo and print reporters in sequence -- "like a video game, PlayStation," joked Jennifer Ehle, the young British newcomer who won lead actress in a play for "The Real Thing." That deprived CMU's Cherry Jones (nominated for "Moon"), long recognized as one of the country's best. But there's bad news for Pittsburgh native Tina Benko, who understudies Ehle as Annie. The import from London is supposed to close Aug. 12, but if it extends, would Ehle and Stephen Dillane (who won for best actor) stay with it? "I'm not tired of it yet," Ehle said. "And I hate the thought of anyone else playing Annie."

But Dillane seemed to react differently: Asked if he'd be willing to extend, he grimaced and laughed. "I don't know." By the way, though it was a triumphant Tony year for the Brits, Ehle actually counts as American. Her mother, Rosemary Harris, has long been one of Broadway's favorite transplants, so Ehle has an American passport.

Masks

7 September 1996
The Guardian
(c) 1996

The Prince's Trust has just finished a massive fund-raising campaign in which a thousand celebrities have been asked to paint their own masks. These will be auctioned for a large sum. The mask is a wonderfully comforting, concealing device, and it's fascinating to see what people want to hide behind. Prince Charles has painted leaves to cover his face, as if he is deep in a forest, or at least wants something to talk to.

Tony Blair has drawn predictable red roses, whereas John Major has painted an Elysian landscape, perhaps the mythical England he wants to recreate. Denis Healey has imitated Munch's The Scream, which tells us a lot, yet Dave Stewart, the pop musician who said he was too happy, has done much the same. Jennifer Ehle has painted hers plain blue with a signature, which is dull, but since I adore her, it's the one I would buy if I could afford it.

Dull? Intriguing, rather. Ready, set, psychoanalyse!

Is it possible?

A whole week with no Philadelphia Story reviews? Never fear, here are a couple more from two bloggers, Mollie and Jezzism, who have this to say respectively:

The lead woman 'Tracey' was played by Jennifer Ehle, a familiar face who was in the BBC's Pride and Predjudice (love it!). She was amazing.

Cute story and going to the theatre is always a fun night, and as johnny says "having a hollywood star always adds a certain something" to a play. Too true. Though I think Jennifer Ehle stole the show.

Pride and Prejudice picturebook

A hardcover collector's edition of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with photographs from the Ehle-Firth miniseries is up for auction at eBay. Currently at GBP 8.50, expires at 13:44 PDT, August 14th. Ships worldwide.

Witch Child is also for sale. Currently at USD $0.99, expires at 06:56 PDT, August 16th. Ships to the US only.

(PDT = UTC -8)

Extra scene in Paradise Road

Extra scene in Paradise Road for Singapore
By Elisabeth Gwee
20 June 1997
Straits Times
(c) 1997 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

WHEN World War II drama Paradise Road opens in Singapore on July 24, audiences will get to watch a scene at the start of the movie that viewers in the United States missed out on.

The film is based on some of the 600 women interned for 3-1/2 years by the Japanese during their occupation of South-east Asia.

While the American version of the movie starts off in 1942 with a scene in the Raffles Hotel Ballroom on the night that the Japanese invaded Singapore, the Singapore version opens with a present-day scene where a central character from the movie, Australian nurse Susan MacCarthy, is seen walking down Orchard Road with her niece, reminiscing about the good old days here.

But bargain-hungry Singaporeans need not lick their chops thinking they are going to be getting extra value for money.

After all, the three-minute scene bears no relevance to the plot of the movie.

In fact, the audience is likely to end up confused by it, if they can even remember it at all by the end of the movie.

Even the film's executive producer, Singapore-based hotelier Andrew Yap, says he does not think audiences in the United States missed out much with this scene chopped out of the American version.

So why then was this introduction, which is also included in the Australian version of the film, included?

"I thought it was a nice way of easing the audience slowly into the movie.

"Instead of just throwing them into the action, it would have been a nice chance for them to see how modern Singapore is," he told Life! last week.

Mr Yap does not know why the first few minutes of the film were taken out from the American version.

"Maybe they thought it made the movie too long, or maybe they didn't think it was necessary," he said.

The film opened in America in April and did not fare too well at the box office. It stars one of the largest-ever female casts in a movie, with actresses such as Glenn Close, Frances McDormand, Jennifer Ehle, ER's Julianna Margulies, Elizabeth Spriggs and Cate Blanchett.

While the bulk of the film was shot in Australia, the cast also went on location in Penang, where scenes were shot in padi fields, jungles, crowded streets and temples.

While the extra scene which Singapore audiences will get to see is insignificant, audiences might want to make the most of their movie experience by looking out for the little absurdities that crop up in it.

For one, a rollerblader is seen whizzing at super speed down the pedestrian mall outside Ngee Ann City.

In the real world, he would have to be a little more careful lest he gets stopped for reckless blading and is fined.

Further in the scene, two women stand outside Ngee Ann City and point to Raffles Hotel, which happens to be right across the road from them.

Explaining this "error", that will no doubt catch the eye of many Singaporean viewers, Mr David Glass, general manager of Golden Village, the film's distributor, said: "We wanted to show one of the most modern buildings in Singapore together with one of the oldest buildings, Raffles Hotel.

"It was to show the contrast between the old and the new. I guess you could call it artistic licence."

Paradise Road opens in Singapore on July 24. The Gala Charity premiere will be held on July 13. The beneficiaries of the event are Aware and The Substation.

Seuss chic

Muchas gracias to Josie from the A Genius At Work Kevin Spacey group for these photos from Old Vic stage door, on the 9th and 10th of August. Check out the orange Dr Seuss t-shirt.





Clicky to enlarge.

Witch Child preview

CHILDS PLAY
By Moira McCormick
Billboard
11 June 2001
BPI Entertainment News Wire
(c) Copyright 2001 BPI Communications, Inc.

Also due in July is Listening Library's other big summer audiobook, Witch Child, by Celia Rees. Described by Ditlow as containing elements of The Blair Witch Project, The Crucible, and the novels of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Witch Child is read in its entirety by British actress Jennifer Ehle (indelible as heroine Elizabeth Bennet in A&E's TV miniseries Pride and Prejudice.) Rees, who was autographing copies of Witch Child at BEA, said she couldn't be happier with the choice of Tony winner Ehle, with whom she exchanged exultant e-mails: "I wrote, 'I loved Pride and Prejudice! I can't believe you're going to do this!' " Rees recalled. "I knew she'd be perfect."

"We like Tony winners," Ditlow says. "There's usually a correlation between Tony winners and good voice-over artists. TV and movie actors don't always have the sustained breath control you need to read audiobooks. When we're considering actors, we scan their bios to see if they have stage work in their resumes. If they don't, we get a little nervous."

Listening Library's Witch Child will be released in July -- on Friday the 13th. Ditlow plans to get all the mileage possible out of its macabre elements, with Rees scheduled for a promotional (and further research-gathering) visit to Salem, Mass., in October, around Halloween. Ditlow says, "Jennifer Ehle's open to doing [promotion] with us as well."

Witch Child review

6 August 2001
Publishers Weekly
Copyright 2001 Gale Group Inc.

CELIA REES, READ BY JENNIFER EHLE, WITH CAROL SHELLEY. Listening Library, unabridged, four cassettes, 5 hrs., 38 mins., $26

With her smooth yet wary tone, British stage and screen actress Ehle fits well the character of Mary, a 14-year-old girl whose grandmother/caretaker was hanged as a witch in 1659 England, and who is fearful that authorities will discover her own special powers. After her grandmother's death, a mysterious woman--who, she learns, is the mother who abandoned her years before--whisks Mary away from her small, dirty village. The wealthy woman gives Mary a new identity and everything she needs to secure passage on a Puritan-filled ship sailing to America. The congregation eventually ends up in a remote Massachusetts settlement called Beulah, where Mary's willingness to befriend Native Americans in the area arouses suspicion. When some of the Puritan girls who already have it in for Mary begin acting strangely, the same minister who convicted Mary's grandmother arrives to investigate. Mary then faces scrutiny that she worries will cost her own life. Ehle's strong performance as Mary, cautious yet prone to show flash es of naivete, is compelling, but it's not enough to keep listeners hooked on a story line that drags in too many places. Ages 12-up. (July)

Pedigree

This is from People of Today by Debrett's, the publisher of infamous Baronetage. Who knew Ms Ehle's middle name was Anne?

Debrett's People of Today - HARRIS - Rosemary.
15 July 2005
(c) 2005 Debrett's Peerage Ltd.

First Names: Rosemary

Parentage: da of Gp Capt Stafford Berkeley Harris, DFC, AFC, RAF (d 1952), and Enid Maud, nee Campion (d 1942)

Education: St Helen's Sch Abingdon, All Hallows' Sch Ditchingham, RADA

Marriage/Children: 1, 1960 (m dis 1967), Ellis Rabb; m 2, 1967, John Marsden Ehle; 1 da (Jennifer Anne b 1969)

Career: actress; Hon Dr: Smith Coll 1968, Wake Forest Univ 1976, North Carolina Sch of the Arts 1980; Theatre incl: Climate of Eden (Broadway, Theatre World Award) 1952, The Seven Year Itch (London) 1953-54, Hamlet and Uncle Vanya (NT) 1964-65, The Lion in Winter (Broadway, Tony Award) 1966, Plaza Suite (London, Evening Standard Award) 1969, The Merchant of Venice (Broadway) 1973, A Streetcar Named Desire (Broadway) 1973, All my Sons (London) 1980, Heartbreak House (London and Broadway) 1983, A Pack of Lies (Broadway) 1984, Hayfever (Broadway) 1985, Best of Friends (London) 1989, Steel Magnolias (London) 1990, Lost in Yonkers (Broadway) 1991, Arsenic and Old Lace (Chichester) 1991, Preserving Mr Panmure (Chichester) 1991, Lost in Yonkers (London) 1992, In the Summer House (Lyric Hammersmith) 1993, An Inspector Calls (Broadway) 1994, Women of Troy (RNT) 1995, A Delicate Balance (Broadway) 1996, Waiting in the Wings (Broadway) 1999, All Over (Off Broadway) 2002 (Obie Award); Television incl: Twelfth Night, A Tale of Two Cities, Dial M For Murder, Wuthering Heights, Notorious Woman (Emmy Award), The Holocaust (Golden Globe Award), To The Lighthouse, The Camomile Lawn, Summers Day Dream, Death of a Salesman, The Web of Belonging; Film incl: The Shiralee, Beau Brummel, The Boys From Brazil, The Ploughman's Lunch, Crossing Delancey, The Bridge, Tom and Viv (Academy Award nomination), Hamlet, My Life So Far, Sunshine, Never Better, Spiderman, Spiderman 2

Usual name: Ms Rosemary Harris

Address: c/o ICM Ltd, Oxford House, 76 Oxford Street, London W1N 0AX (Tel: 020 7636 6565, fax 020 7323 0101)

Women's Wear Daily: "Electric Ehle"

Not to be confused with the article of the same title, from 1999 by Anthony Quinn.

ELECTRIC EHLE
Julie L. Belcove
22 April 1997
Copyright 1997 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

NEW YORK -- By the looks of her, Jennifer Ehle has several more years left to play the ingenue, but she is already keeping mum about her age. When the subject comes up, the actress best known as the heroine in last year's BBC version of ``Pride and Prejudice'' takes a deep breath and breaks into a big, silent smile. When prodded, she admits to being in her mid-20s. The problem with getting specific, she explains, is that everyone assumes an actress subtracts three years from the truth, and she'd rather not lie.

"I really don't care," she says, "but it matters." Besides, Ehle adds, "I was brought up with a mother who says, `A woman who tells you her age will tell you anything.'"

Her mother is English actress Rosemary Harris. Her father is American novelist John Ehle. Jennifer, their only child, grew up with North Carolina as home base, but went wherever her mother was working, changing schools 18 times in the process.

"If I'd wanted to be a doctor, there would have been a problem," she says.

But since she doesn't remember ever wanting to be anything other than an actress, she doesn't worry much about her gypsy-like childhood. And now that she's an actress in her own right, she's still leading something of a nomadic life.

Her latest movie, the female POW story "Paradise Road," took her to Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. The hardest thing about the three-month shoot, Ehle says, was her character's disposition.

"I know Rosemary is supposed to be this eternally optimistic character -- the force of love will carry her through and all that -- but that was hard to hang onto because it's probably not the way I would have handled it," she says. "I probably just would have cried."

But the movie did give her the opportunity to bond with -- and learn from -- the predominantly female cast, including Glenn Close, Frances McDormand and young Australian actress Cate Blanchett.

"I could watch Cate read the Yellow Pages," she says.

Next up for Ehle is "Wilde," in which she plays Oscar Wilde's wife, Constance, opposite Stephen Fry.

"She's quite extraordinary because of her decision to stay with him and not divorce him after the trial, which was an astonishing decision at the time," she says.

After attending the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama, Ehle decided to stay on in London, largely, she says, because of the more complex roles available to women there. She quickly landed several theater and TV parts and made her screen debut with, as she puts it, "five syllables in `Backbeat.'"

Her star turn came as Elizabeth Bennet in "Pride and Prejudice," complete with a romance with co-star Colin Firth.

Now single again, she recently moved into a new flat in London. But just as her accent shifts unconsciously when she crosses the Atlantic, so does her allegiance.

"I go through stages when I feel more English and stages when I feel more American," she says. "I nearly bought a house this year [outside London], and just before it came time to sign everything, I panicked."

She says she realizes "it would be stupid to ignore" America's importance in the industry.

"I know I'll do my trek out to Hollywood at some point," she says, "`but I don't see it as a mecca."

Despite her chiseled features and creamy complexion, she even admits to some insecurity about auditioning stateside: "I always thought you had to pass through radar that would say `cellulite on tummy' or `spot on chin.'"

Philadelphia Story collector's set

There's a set consisting of the Philadelphia Story programme and three flyers listed on eBay. The auction ends on the 11th of August and the current price is GBP 16.02.

Women's Wear Daily: "Reel to Real"

Hope you're liking these articles, because you're in for an avalanche of them over the next month or so. By the way, Kevin Spacey is back in The Philadelphia Story.

Reel to Real
By Merle Ginsberg, 17 April 2000.

NEW YORK -- At first it's hard to figure out what's real and what's not about Jennifer Ehle. The star of Broadway's new Tom Stoppard revival, "The Real Thing" (a hit at the Donmar Warehouse in London, and later when it moved to London's West End), is now a blazing redhead -- she was a blonde in the BBC's ``Pride and Prejudice'' and the big screen's "Paradise Road" and "Wilde". And although her accent is as clipped and British as can be, she's actually American.

Half asleep from jet lag -- the cast touched down in New York three days before this interview took place at the Cafe des Artistes -- Ehle (pronounced EEH-leeh) sighs a lot and fusses with her hair.

"I haven't really slept in three nights," she says. "Yes, I'm adjusting to a new time zone, but I'm also adjusting to the adrenaline of New York."

As for the bright red hair -- which does seem to suit her ``Real Thing'' character, Annie, a contemporary actress who marries a famous playwright (Stephen Dillane, in the Stoppard-doppelganger role) and then adjusts to the realities of married life -- Ehle's got the perfect witty retort ready.

"I feel more comfortable being a not quite genuine redhead than a not quite genuine blonde. I was feeling like I was losing my dignity as a blonde."

As for the English/American conflict, Ehle -- the daughter of actress Rosemary Harris and novelist John Ehle of North Carolina -- moved to England when she was 18 and attended the Central School of Speech and Drama and has lived there ever since. So both her accent and her American passport are real.

And even though she's been a player in the Royal National Theater and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and won the BAFTA for "Pride and Prejudice," Ehle says she and the rest of the British cast of ``The Real Thing'' haven't really been able to adjust to what a hit the play became in London -- and how likely it is to repeat that at the Ethel Barrymore in its run that opens tonight.

"None of us were expecting it. It's not in any of our experience. What was so exciting in London is that `The Real Thing' turned into a date night for everybody. It celebrates and explores love -- and in the end, I don't think it's cynical. Most people think it's Stoppard's most accessible and upbeat play."

It was Stoppard who sought out Ehle to play Annie. "I'd just finished `A Taste of Sunshine' with Ralph Fiennes,'' she says, about Istvan Szabo's multi-generational film that is finally opening in the U.S. in June, "and I hadn't worked for nine months. I just sat in Starbucks in London every day and nearly went mad. Then I got a call from my agent, who'd gotten a call from Tom Stoppard. He'd apparently read an interview with me in the Independent where I moaned about not working. He'd been told I was unavailable. I said, tell him I'm available -- I'm over at Starbucks."

The next day she was called in to read, but hadn't actually read the play since she was 14. "I read very badly," says the very self-deprecating actress. "I was shocked when they asked me to do it."

Her character is adored by her first husband, worshiped by her playwright husband, and the object of lust of every other male character in the play.

"In rehearsal, I began to realize that every man in this play is fixated with her. And you know what? It's great fun, and quite liberating! But what I love about Annie is that she's not limited by the things about her that enable men to fixate on her. It's quite rare -- she's flawed, she's real, she's still loved -- and she was written by a man."

Another 3 stars

Fresh user review of The Philadelphia Story from Whatsonstage.

Although this feels very tame (and only intermittently funny) in this day and age, Jerry Zaks' glossy revival has alot to enjoy. Jennifer Ehle's delectable Tracy rightly dominates the show (despite being saddled with some hideous costumes)...

Daily Mirror: "My pride and groom"

This is up on EhleNews (parts 1, 2 and 3), but it's worth repeating. Fairytale romance and all.

My pride and groom

By Emily Scarff
25 October 2002

JENNIFER EHLE TALKS ABOUT HER SECRET MARRIAGE AND THE FILM THAT COULD THRUST HER INTO THE LIMELIGHT. EXCLUSIVE BY EMILY SCARFF

She once had her head turned by Colin Firth in his famous role as Mr Darcy, but Pride And Prejudice star Jennifer Ehle has revealed how she finally found happiness with the man of her dreams in a small town in America.

Last year, she married unknown writer Michael Ryan, 33, in a secret ceremony. They had met near the home of Jennifer's parents - her American writer dad John Ehle and English actress mum Rosemary Harris - in North Carolina.

"I could not be happier," says Jennifer, 32, whose new film Possession, co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow, is out today. "I hated the idea of another high-profile romance. To find this man, who is quiet and lovely, is the best thing that has happened to me."

She became famous as Elizabeth Bennet in the hit BBC drama Pride And Prejudice, in which she had a love affair with co-star Firth, now 41, both on screen and off it. However, nothing compared to the impact her husband had on her.

"Michael really did sweep me off my feet," she says. "I've now sold up in London and we are living in America. I am not saying where because there are always Jane Austen fans who might find me. The quiet life suits us both.

"My birthday is December 29 and I am a typical Capricorn. I might feel deep passions and I am certainly aware of that, but I'd rather keep them to myself. So to find someone who is very special and out of the public eye suits me perfectly. We were able to get married in Scotland last November and, apart from close friends and family, no one knew a thing."

Jennifer has spent most of the last seven years, post-Firth, on her own. By contrast, he has since married Italian producer's assistant Livia Giuggioli, and they have a 19-month-old son, Luca.

"I had not been in a proper relationship for a long time before I met my future husband," she says. "I got left out of the loop. Why was it so hard to find a man? I don't know. Maybe it was a change of gear in my working life as I went between Britain and America to do various things.

"I got used to being on my own. I was an only child and went to boarding school at 15. I did a flatshare at college and lived with a boyfriend for a year. After that, up to my marriage, it's been just me.

"I bought my first flat in London four years ago and there were a lot of alterations. It would have been great to have had someone at the other end of the tape measure, but it was not to be at that time. It would have been nice to have had someone to ask, `Are we doing the right thing, honey?' when I was renovating the kitchen."

Jennifer pauses then adds, "Colin is a very nice guy and a great actor. He's been good in everything I've seen, whether it's Shakespeare In Love or Bridget Jones's Diary. By the time Pride And Prejudice came out, we were not a couple. The way our so-called `affair' was reported was so wrong. We were two single people in a proper relationship which ended.

"There was a silly photograph taken by the BBC in the Blue Peter garden at Shepherd's Bush, London, on the very day we met and before we even started filming. It was then published after the relationship ended, like some sort of engagement photograph.

"You can't do anything about such things and I try not to let intrusion worry me. But I'd always thought that when I did begin a new relationship, it would be nice to do it without it being reported, particularly in the early stages."

Jennifer's clearly achieved that level of anonymity with husband Michael, of whom she says, "I don't want to talk about him much because he deserves his own privacy. But, I have always found that difficult, trying to get the balance right between work and personal life. Where does one end and the other start?"

Jennifer's latest film, Possession, is set in the modern era but uses flashbacks to take the viewer to Victorian times. As in Pride And Prejudice, she dons period costume to play 19th century feminist and lesbian Christabel LaMotte. The modern day characters are investigating whether Christabel had an affair with Queen Victoria's poet laureate Randolph Henry Ash, a married man, played by Jeremy Northam.

"It was a great cast and a wonderful romance, which was hard to resist," says Jennifer, who admits to being an incurable romantic in real life. "I am one of those people who really does believe in love, even if I hate talking about it."

Hopefully, Possession will provide the impetus to take Jennifer a few more rungs up the Hollywood ladder. To date, her film career has struggled to take off, despite acclaimed performances in This Year's Love and Sunshine, with Ralph Fiennes. At one point, she even sent off for a job application form from the bookshop chain Waterstones so she could earn some money between roles.

"I often think badly of myself when I am out of work," she says. "It seems that so far as my career goes, I am either struggling to keep my head above water or sitting on a desert island, basking in the sunshine."

Yet Jennifer had plenty of warning about how tough her chosen profession could be from her actress mother.

"I often ask myself why I am doing this," she admits. "I never say to myself that I will be acting forever.

"What I am trying to figure out is why I feel very different now to how I did 10 years ago. I decided to go to drama school at the age of 15 and everything I did in life was working towards that goal. My feelings have changed a lot in that time. I am not so driven these days."

Jennifer's life has been one of constant change as she switched between England and her native America with her parents.

"I first came to England as a baby," she says. "I also spent a couple of years in London from the age of 11. I grew up mainly in America and changed schools a total of 18 times. But when I had to make a choice of whether to spend my adult life in Britain or America, I chose London.

"I thought it would be a nicer city to be unemployed in as an actor rather than New York or Los Angeles. I also wanted to enjoy some classical training and get female roles which are interesting.

"The business and physical scrutiny scared me in Hollywood. I am 5ft 7 inches tall, I am no waif to look at and could not compete with an American movie star. But being married has helped me get things sorted out more clearly in my own mind. As for the future, who knows?

"I was not out there looking for marriage. It just happened out of the blue. Which is probably the best way to fall in love."

What do King Kong and Jimmy Stewart have in common?

I (heart) Factiva.

cine file - Jennifer Ehle
5 September 1997
The Guardian

What was the first film you saw? King Kong when I was a child. I saw it four times. I had a crush on King Kong - he was my first love.

Your favourite film? This is tough. I have two favourites. Rear Window because I love Hitchcock, Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly; and Les Enfants Du Paradis for its many elements, it's so funny and romantic.

When did you last walk out? Can't remember.

Most erotic movie moment? The love scene in Don't Look Now for the detail and intimacy and for where it comes in the story of the two characters' relationship.

Most annoying cinema habit? Chewing popcorn. I used to do it but since I've stopped I'm so aware of other people doing it.

When was the last time you snogged at the cinema? Four years ago, but I can't remember the film - so it must have been a good snog.

Favourite snippet of dialogue: Bette Davis - `I'd like to kiss you but I just washed my hair.'

Which actor would you most like to be? Jimmy Stewart - I just love him. He had such ease, so much warmth and openness.

Which actress? Grace Kelly, for her beauty and poise and elegance. Sometimes she was completely unreal and very seductive.

Last time you cried? The director's cut of Wolfgang Peterson's film Das Boot about a German U-boat.

The last time you hid under your seat? The opening scenes of Scream with Drew Barrymore.

How did you prepare for Constance in Wilde? I read the Richard Ellman biography and a book on Constance, and generally boned up on Oscar.

Who's the best screen lover, Stephen Fry's Wilde or Colin Firth's Mr Darcy? You can't compare the two - it's not fair on either person. Wilde was a terrible husband. Stephen was a great screen lover. I'm sure he would make a great husband.

Are you sick of costume dramas? Not at all, they usually offer the best female parts. My reason for choosing a part depends on the story.

Jennifer Ehle is in Wilde, which opens on October 17. Interview by Justina Hart.

Reuters: "Jennifer Ehle no se considera 'starlet'"

Steven Schaefer, 25th April 1997, Reuters. I think this one might be just a translation of an English interview, but what the hey, español is cool. Babel it if necessary. Again, not blockquoted because of length.

NUEVA YORK, abr 24 (Reuter) - Jennifer Ehle no está muy segura de lo que es actualmente una "starlet", pero de lo que sí está segura es que ella no lo es.

Eso podría deberse a que el talento dramático no fue nunca un requisito para esas criaturas llamadas "starlets" que eran preparadas para el estrellato en esa época ya desaparecida en que los grandes estudios dominaban Hollywood.

Las aptitudes dramáticas de Ehle, quien está participando en el drama de las prisioneras de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, "Camino al Paraíso", con Glenn Close y Frances McDormand, nunca han sido puestas en duda.

Aunque es rubia y lo suficientemente encantadora para posar con burbujas de jabón en una tina de baño como las "starlets" del pasado, Ehle ya superó a Helen Mirren por el premio a la mejor actriz de 1996 de la Academia Dramática de Cine y Televisión de Gran Bretaña.

Eso fue por encarnar a Elizabeth Bennet, la heroína de "Orgullo y prejuicio", de Jane Austen, en la miniserie de la BBC elogiada internacionalmente.

"Simplemente me limité a agradecer a la gente", dice, sentada en el restaurante de un hotel del centro de Manhattan con pantalones y chaqueta de cuero negros.

Antes de "Paradise Road", Ehle encarnó a Cynthia Lennon en "Backbeat", la película sobre el tiempo que pasaron los Beatles en la ciudad alemana de Hamburgo.

En septiembre será coprotagonista de la leal esposa de Oscar Wilde, Costanza, en una nueva biografía del ingenioso escritor del siglo XIX, "Wilde", junto a Stephen Fry.

Ehle, la hija única de la distinguida estrella teatral Rosemary Harris y del novelista John Ehle, si no creció en un baúl, por lo menos tuvo siempre uno cerca.

La familia iba y venía entre Londres y Nueva York por los compromisos artísticos de su madre.

"Cambié de escuela 18 veces cuando estaba creciendo", recuerda.

La actuación estaba siempre allí, esperando en el horizonte como una opción profesional. "Eramos una familia muy unida. No estoy segura cuándo se produjo realmente la decisión de seguir los pasos de mamá. Supongo que a los 15 años ya era una certeza", agregó.

"En efecto, siempre me fascina cómo gente que no creció dentro de esto sabe qué hacer. Sólo seguí la guía de la familia, pero tener realmente el deseo de actuar y ver un lugar donde eso encaje, es una gran osadía.

"Pero de vez en cuando", agrega sonriendo, "todavía es algo que me hace preguntarme si hay otra cosa que prefiriera hacer".

No la hay.

Ehle atribuye rápidamente al "apoyo increíble" de sus padres lo que modestamente llama "mi afortunada carrera".

"He aprendido mucho observando la disciplina de mamá", apunta. "Ella siempre me dijo que la constancia era muy importante".

Once a tar heel...

A beauty, this one. It's mega-long, so not in blockquotes.

In case you too were wondering, Wikipedia says that "tar heel is the nickname applied to the state and inhabitants of North Carolina, as well as the University of North Carolina’s athletic teams".

SHE'LL ALWAYS BE A TAR HEEL, BUT JENNIFER EHLE HAS FOUND FAME AS A "BRITISH" ACTRESS
The Virginian Pilot, Mal Vincent, 30th August 2002.

She's a Tar Heel born, and, she vows, when she dies, she'll be a Tar Heel dead.

Yet everyone thinks Jennifer Ehle is British.

The illusion is furthered by her role as fictitious poet Christabel LaMotte in the ultra-romantic movie "Possession," opening today. For the part, she is dressed in Victorian silks and corsets, which she said "are nice, but only when you get out of them."

Maybe the confusion about her heritage is because she kept making the trip from her native Winston-Salem, N.C., to London most of her life. It seemed natural. After all, her mother, Rosemary Harris, is one of the greatest stars of the London and New York stages.

"I keep telling the press that I'm from North Carolina, but it seems they never print that - especially in London, which is just about the only place I've been interviewed," Ehle said as we spoke at New York's Regency Hotel. "Whenever they want me for interviews I duck behind the Portaloo. Now I've learned that you have to make a bit of a fuss or you'll be ignored altogether."

Anything but ignored, she is regarded as one of the most promising actresses of her generation. She won Broadway's Tony Award two years ago for playing an actress who has an affair with her co- star in the revival of Tom Stoppard's 1982 play "The Real Thing."

On that Tony night, she was in competition with her mother. It was the first time a mother and daughter had competed in the same category for any major American acting award.

Harris surely didn't mind losing. She had won her own Tony for creating the role of Eleanor of Aquitaine in "The Lion in Winter" in 1966. Harris has received eight Tony nominations in an amazing career, and she earned rave reviews for this summer's production of Edward Albee's "All Over" off-Broadway.

"You've talked to my mother?" Ehle, 32, asked with surprise when I told her that Harris had shown me photographs of her daughter's high school days in Winston-Salem. "She is so proud of me, and that both warms me and embarrasses me. At least she didn't show you nude baby pictures. She has shown them to some people.

"People sometimes think I was destined to act because my mother was an actress and my father writes. I think it has more to do with the fact that I watched my parents love their work - seeing them happy and fulfilled."

Harris and John Ehle, a novelist and teacher at the North Carolina School for the Performing Arts, were married in 1967 and have had a successful, if unorthodox, marriage.

"Mother lives in North Carolina when she isn't acting," daughter Ehle said, "but she commutes to New York or London or wherever she works. When she's on Broadway, she comes home to Papa and Winston-Salem on her days off. They have been very happy, and she has her career, but she knows where the career belongs."

Jennifer Ehle has a mild British accent that carries no hint of the American South. Like her mother, she is self-deprecating and smart, and is surprised when people recognize her. When they do, it's usually for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the TV miniseries based on Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice."

The part had been played, previously, in the MGM movie version by Greer Garson, but young Ehle made it her own. For a few giddy weeks in 1995, it seemed that the whole nation was gripped by "Pride and Prejudice" and by the hope for romance between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth. It was broadcast in America on A&E.

"Since I read the novel at age 12, I'd wanted not only to play Elizabeth Bennet but to be Elizabeth Bennet. She was so perfect and witty. There's a sense of longing, a yearning, in the book that makes it quite sexy."

Secret, but not so secret, was her brief affair with co-star Firth. In England, the press was in a flurry to find out details.

"It was a bit of a monster," she said.

It seems she has a predilection for co-stars. Her first publicized romance was with Toby Stephens, the son of actors Maggie Smith and Robert Stephens, whom she met when they co-starred in a 1992 British TV drama.

"I got into boys very late," she said. "I was uninterested and didn't put out signals for years."

She lived in England from age 11 to 13 and from age 18 until recently.

"The rest of the time I was in Winston-Salem with my parents. I chose England as my home, but I'm glad I grew up in North Carolina. It is a wonderful place to grow up. Now, actually, I'm living in North Carolina, in a cabin in Mitchell County where my parents were married. I'm there with my husband. He's not in the business."

Since she finished making "Possession," Ehle said, "it's quite a shock to me that I am so happy not working. I, in a way, would like to never return. I never thought I would feel that."

After "Pride and Prejudice," daughter Ehle received movie offers. She made her movie debut as one of the women held prisoner by the Japanese in the World War II drama "Paradise Road" in 1997. She played Oscar Wilde's wife in "Wilde" in 1997. Two years ago, she and her mother played the same role, at different ages, in the epic movie "Sunshine."

"Hollywood does what it does so well," Ehle said. "I'm not sure I would fit in."

In the hallway, Ehle rushed to hug her "Possession" co-star, Gwyneth Paltrow.

"Has your mother seen the picture?" Paltrow asked. "What did she say? What did she think of me? I'm so worried about the accent."

"My mother saw it last night," Ehle said. "She loved you, but I haven't talked to her much about my performance. There are things we don't talk about. But she thought you were wonderful."

She then told Paltrow how wonderful she thought marriage was and how she was surprised that she didn't miss work.

Paltrow hesitated but said, "You must come back, you know."

Even though Paltrow and Ehle are the leading ladies in the movie, they have no scenes together.

Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart play scholars who are on the trail of an illicit, and shocking, love affair that may, or may not, have occurred in 1859 between famed poets Randolph Henry Ash (Queen Victoria's poet laureate, played by Jeremy Northam) and Christabel LaMotte.

Two love affairs, centuries apart, are played out in the film - parallel, yet different. Ironically, the Victorian lovers, although living in a repressed society, are much more free and unrestrained than the modern couple.

Paltrow, yet again, essays a British accent.

"Gwyneth is amazing in that she can step in and out of accents," Ehle said. "She shifts immediately. I can't do that."

Ehle and Northam, representing the 19th century, are much more passionate than Paltrow and Eckhart, representing 2002.

"I think, perhaps, it is true that modern lovers let Freud get in the way," Ehle said. "We may live in a society in which everything goes, but maybe this just makes us less aware of what we really want. Emotional commitment is such a difficult thing to give. A relationship has to last a long time before you get to that normal period - when you calm down and increasingly lose the struggle not to break wind in bed."

She admits that she was not comfortable at first with the role of Christabel LaMotte (a fictional writer created by A.S. Byatt in the 1990 novel on which the movie is based).

"I didn't think I looked right, physically, for her. I saw her, initially, as this thin, gaunt woman. Even when I see her on the screen today, I think someone else is playing her. I never felt I got inside her. It's one of the first times that I had to call on someone else to play a part. I see her as very different from me.

"I know that the director of `Possession' said that I could do the role because he felt I had such a strong, independent side. I don't really see that in me, but to portray it is what acting is about. Am I ambitious? Sometimes I think I am, but then for long periods, I'm not at all. Now is one of those times."

She is back in that cabin in North Carolina for the time being. Meanwhile, the offers from Broadway, London and Hollywood are piling up. Carrying on a family tradition, she can have an amazing career, if she wants it.

More articles

The Herald, 1st January 2005, Keith Bruce.

There was a double-helping of Seckerson on Monday. In the afternoon, Stage and Screen itself was a captivating version of the original Peter Pan by J M Barrie complete with John Crook's incidental music from the Broadway production of 1905, recreated by the master of such tasks, John McGlinn. This "parlour reading", recorded in NewYork's Edwardian Players Club, featured a starry cast including Hayley Mills and Jennifer Ehle. Utterly absorbing, it also showed how closely the adaptation by our current king of the Christmas shows, Stuart Paterson - given a fine production by Liz Moran at Stirling's Macrobert this year - follows the Barrie original.

Winston-Salem Journal, 9th March 2005, Michael Hastings.

Long before most people in Winston-Salem had ever heard of brie and baguettes, Maria's was selling them. But this specialty-foods store and coffee roaster in Stratford Place won't be selling those items or anything else after March 24. Owner Maria Ingram-Braucht is calling it quits after more than 30 years in the business. "It's a lamentable fact that the big fish have swallowed up the minnows," Ingram-Braucht said of her decision to close. Ingram-Braucht, who grew up in Kernersville, was a young woman working for novelist John Ehle and actress Rosemary Harris as a nanny to their daughter, Jennifer Ehle - now herself an actress - when she got the idea of going into the food business. While traveling in England and Ireland with the family years ago, Ingram-Braucht learned about the wonders of fresh coffee. "The streets were filled with roasting coffee smells, and I fell in love with it," she said. Ehle had recently written The Wines and Cheeses of England and France and became interested in making his own wine and cheese.

Various Philadelphia Story reviews

Finally, a use for the academic databases I have access to. Firstly, from the Wall Street Journal Europe, on 15th of July. By Paul Levy.

LONDON/Theater: Before it was a movie, "The Philadelphia Story" was a 1939 play, and such a well-constructed one that it can withstand the absence of Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart. In its present incarnation at the Old Vic there is only one total star performance-the Old Vic artistic director, Kevin Spacey, as C.K. Dexter Haven-and that's reason enough to see this production of playwright Philip Barry's comic battle of words on Philadelphia's Main Line. John Lee Beatty's elaborate sets and Tom Rand's glamorous costumes are more than add-ons-they set the tone of an otherwise low-key production by director Jerry Zaks. As Tracy Lord, the once-married icemaiden who finally melts and marries again, Jennifer Ehle wisely doesn't try to surpass or even to remind us of Katherine Hepburn. But her leisurely delivery of her character's American aristo wisecracks isn't quite to the manor born. Although there are fine performances by Julia McKenzie (as Tracy's mother), the gravel-voiced Nicholas Le Provost (as Uncle Willie Tracy) and D.W. Moffat (as Macaulay 'Mike' Connor), Mr. Spacey alone has that quality, and the feeling for comedy, that allows an actor to quote the body language of Groucho Marx and W.C. Fields, while being completely himself. (Mr. Spacey, currently replaced by Adrian Lukis, returns Aug. 8 for 28 performances.)

Next, 15th May, Sunday Telegraph, Susan Irvine.

The Philadelphia Story revived Katherine Hepburn's career, first on stage, and then in the film version with Cary Grant and James Stewart. She casts a long shadow, but Jennifer Ehle, all pink and gold and exuding noblesse oblige in her satin evening pyjamas, dismisses Hepburn's ghost with a shake of her supershiny hair. Her repartee quivers with an edge of self-mocking desperation, yet she patronises God superbly. "Good for you, God," she purrs when the deity delivers a spot of sunshine. Kevin Spacey as her first husband, C. K. Dexter Haven, circles puck-like in her orbit, jabbing in wisecracks at the "virgin goddess". In a play like this, such a woman must come off her pedestal, but the landing is soft. And respectability in the guise of morality is upheld, since the price of her tumble is a barely-sinful "two kisses and a rather late swim". A delightful evening of urbane entertainment, delicious as a glass of champagne.

icSouthLondon: "At the mercy of Mr Wickham"

Zoe Walker interviews Adrian Lukis about his role in The Philadelphia Story. He talks about first-week nerves and the challenge of taking over from Kevin Spacey at such short notice.

ZW: You're actually working with Jennifer Ehle again in this play - and it's the first time you've worked together since BBC's hugely successful version of Pride and you played George Wickham and she was Elizabeth Bennet.

AL: Yes, and it's She's an old mate and it's absolutely great to be working opposite her. And Wickham gets the girl this time, which is really good. In Pride and PrejudiceI didn't get the girl.

ZW: Was it easy to slip back into working with Jennifer?

AL: She is great to work with. She's one of the most generous actors I've met - always encouraging and very supportive and helpful, as everybody in the cast has been. They've all been really, really good. And I know from past experience, from when I was part of a regular company, it's quite nice to have someone new come in. In a way it makes you re-think the play a bit and gives a fresh start, I hope.

Alpha Male location and plot

sunset_beach2004, an extra from Alpha Male, has provided some information on the IMDB boards about the film's storyline and says that it was filmed in Bedfordshire, England. Warning, the ending is given away.