Movie News

Film rediscovered Julie's Austin love

Thu 08 Mar 6:01 PM

Julie Walters stars in a new film about the life of Jane Austen - who was recently voted Britain's favourite writer - but admits she was never a fan of her books because she had to read her at school.

The much-loved actress plays Jane's mother in a fictionalised account about the 17th century writer's first love affair, alongside co-stars Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy.

Julie told us: "I'd read her at school, and that's why I wasn't a fan. Closed that book and thought 'oh I'm not reading her again'. And then this came up and I read Pride & Prejudice. It was unbelievable, so funny and so modern. You don't expect humour to come through after 200 years. Look at Shakespeare - not funny, no matter how hard they try. I'm not putting Shakespeare down, he's brilliant, but she [Austen] is really funny in a modern way, no wonder she's lasted."

Julie, who often plays maternal figures in hit films like Billy Elliott, Harry Potter and Driving Classes, said Becoming Jane made her realise mothering hadn't changed much either.

She continued: "Jane's relationship with her mother [who worries about her pursuing a career in writing] in the film is just like mine was with my mother, who used to worry about me going into acting. She'd say to me "you'll be in the gutter before you're 20", so I put that line into the film and said it to Jane. I love that, it's so real."

Becoming Jane opens in cinemas nationwide from Friday March 9.