In Season 2 ofSanditon, which airs on Masterpiece on PBS, Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) returns to the coastal resort with her effervescent sister (Rosie Graham) at the same time a company of Army officers takes up temporary residence in town. Even though Charlotte feels disillusioned with love, new romantic opportunities present themselves, and she embarks on a journey of discovery that will not only teach her about herself but open her up to the possibility of sharing her life with someone else.
During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Williams talked about getting back into the world ofSanditonagain, the huge blessing of the show’s return, the incredible detail of the set, how she feels about the way Season 2 is handling the departure of Sidney Parker (Theo James), the fun of the sister dynamic, possible romantic entanglements, being happy with where Charlotte’s journey leads her by the end of Season 3 (which they’ve already shot), and how she approaches finding the next project.
Collider: There was talk of this show returning, even after it was announced that it was canceled, but once it was finally official, some time had passed since you had shot the first season. What was it like to return to the show, this world, this time period, and this character? Was it easy to step back into it, or did it take some time for you to get into that mindset again?
ROSE WILLIAMS: I had the time, which was nice. I had the first half of the year to get back in the zone of Regency England andSanditonand Charlotte, and all the characters. It was lovely to work with Charles Sturridge, our amazing director, who shot Episode 7 and 8 of Series 1. The continuation of the story was with the same creative vision in Charles, which was great. We had loads of conversations, and I had lots of touch bases with [executive producers] Justin [Young] and Belinda [Campbell], and of course our lovely cast. It was really amazing. I’m also quite grateful for the time between the end of Series 1 and the start of Series 2. The whole world went through COVID, which meant stepping back. I definitely came with a different space, which is what we wanted for Charlotte. For me, I see Chapter 2 as a transformational chapter for Charlotte, with Chapter 2 being Season 2. She’s processing an emotional experience, which I also found more relatable. I always gravitate, with the Austen heroines, towards Anne fromPersuasionbecause she’s already been through life, and when it comes to Season 2 ofSanditon, I feel like Charlotte became more relatable because she’s lived a bit more.
You had an interesting experience with this show because you got to do the first season before COVID, and then you got to return to it with COVID present in the world. How did it feel to have the world feel like a completely different place, but still be able to return to this thing that was familiar and that you’d already established, even though everything else in real life had changed?
WILLIAMS: It was a huge blessing and really amazing. That’s the power of escapism. The lighthearted, escapist nature of the show, which I hope the audience is connected to, is a safe, comfortable, happy place to explore emotion, but there’s definitely a lot of heart and lightness inSanditon, and that reflected in the shooting of the show. It was lovely and so protected. We did quite a lot of location work, but the base that we used as a studio had this amazing set build of the promenade with loads of sand. Anytime you see the beach, which they very cleverly transition with big green screen, to this set that we were on quite a lot, I was going to work, but going toSanditon. It provided this really amazing, encapsulated world outside of what was going on. Thank God, we were relatively unscathed on the production and we only shut down for one day in total. So, it was amazing to step back into a world that provided a lot of joy for me.
Since it seems like everyone who has read a Jane Austen novel or seen one of the movies based on her novels has thought about what it would be like to live in that world, what’s it like to actually be able to walk into that world recreated on set? When you’re walking around the set in that wardrobe, do you sometimes just have to take a moment to marvel at all of it?
WILLIAMS: Oh yeah, definitely. For me, what really brings me into that space is the detail on set. Taking a moment between scenes or right before they say action, there’s such a level of detail. The production design is gorgeous on Season 2 and 3, especially when it came to shooting scenes in the schoolroom, or returning to the Parker household, and all the lovely details in Tom’s office. Of the sets, my favorite set will always be Tom’s office. It’s so beautiful. There’s so much detail, with all his architectural plans, his statues, his desk, and the writing papers and pens and magnifying glass. Just the lovely details in the sets is what really brings me into the time. Also, we were shooting in places that are so remote. There were remote places in nature that we shot in, like an old house that had gorgeous grounds with a trickling stream. You could look around and really believe that you were in a different time period because there were no indicators of the modern world, which is an amazing experience.
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After spending the first season developing the relationship between Charlotte and Sidney, his character definitely still has a presence throughout the season. How do you feel about the way that was handled? What was your reaction to finding out how that would be incorporated into the story?
WILLIAMS: I think that it’s important because it’s truthful. Charlotte would be grieving. The Parker household would be grieving. I don’t think it would’ve been right to just eradicate the character. And also, in real life, when people pass on, their presence is still felt, if you had a close relationship. So, I really liked the element of continuing Sidney’s legacy, as an overarching feeling across the second season. I think that was important, to honor the story of the first season, because it wouldn’t have been right to forget that he would’ve existed. It wouldn’t have been truthful, and we wouldn’t have been able to play the characters as close to a version of truth as we could. I think that it was handled in an appropriate way.
I love the sister relationship in this because Charlotte’s sister is just so full of life that it forces Charlotte out of her shell, whether she wants it to happen or not. What did you most enjoy about getting to explore that dynamic and seeing what it brought out in Charlotte?
WILLIAMS: It was so fun. It was so, so fun. Rosie Graham is a gorgeous young actress, and I’m so excited for audiences to see her work. She literally shines on screen. When I first saw it, I couldn’t believe it. She really is the perfect person to play this character because she’s so effervescent and full of life and love and lightness, in real life. It was so much fun. We had a lot of conversations before we started – me, Rosie and Charles – about the dynamic between sisters. I’m a sister. I have a sister, and Rosie doesn’t, but very much feels like a sister to me now. That’s why I always tell her, “Well, you haven’t got a blood sister, but I’m your sister now.” It was lovely, and also reflective of Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra. They had a really close relationship, which was really nice. Being inspired by the sisters in Sense and Sensibility was also important. It’s a wonderful dynamic. And yes, you’re absolutely right, Alison’s excitement and happiness to be in a place that isn’t Willington definitely nudges Charlotte out of her grieving process, for sure.
As if relationship drama with one man wasn’t enough for her in Season 1, she has relationship drama with two men in Season 2. What did you enjoy about exploring the dynamics with both Alexander Colbourne (Ben Lloyd-Hughes) and Colonel Lennox (Tom Weston-Jones)? Because those two men are such very different types of men, what do you think they each brought out in her that made them worthy of her at least considering each of them?
WILLIAMS: Charlotte is resolved to not love. She’s very set on forging a path of independence. These men that she comes across, she’s interested in, for different reasons. She’s interested in Lennox for the fact that he is a leader of hundreds of men, he has experience on the battlefield, he’s clearly highly intelligent, and has had this experience that she’s never been in proximity to. She’s always curious by people’s character traits and what she can learn from a situation or a person, so she’s drawn to him because she finds him interesting, for his intelligence and experience.
And then, when it comes to Colbourne, she’s drawn to him because she really wants to help facilitate that household and make it a happier home. She can see that this man clearly has a certain care for the girls that he’s the guardian of, his niece and his daughter, and yet he seems so emotionally detached. She wants to coax him out of his emotional cage that he’s created for himself, on behalf of these children, and in that process, she finds him more and more interesting. I don’t think that she’s seeking communication or connection with these two men with the idea of partnership. She’s more interested in who they really are and what she can learn from them.
It’s also really interesting that these two men are not only both interested in her, but they have a history with each other. What’s it like to be a part of a love triangle where there is that animosity between the two men?
WILLIAMS: Charlotte doesn’t really understand any of that. She sees male pride and male ego, and doesn’t really know what it’s about. Especially in episode four, the audience will see her just really not have any patience with it. What she’s perceiving as male ego, there’s more story behind that, which we’ll find out as this series goes on. She definitely feels uncomfortable and she doesn’t want to have any part in any egoistical, competitive situation. That’s just so disinteresting to her.
What was it like to have those two different actors, Ben Lloyd-Hughes and Tom Weston-Jones, as scene partners? They’re very different characters, but how were they, as far as approaching the work? Did they approach things in similar ways, or are they very different types of actors?
WILLIAMS: They were so lovely, both of them, and hilarious. We had so much fun. Shooting me, Ben, Eloise [Webb], who plays Augusta, and Flora [Mitchell], who plays Leo, just felt like the dream team. Whenever we were shooting at that location, there was a real sweetness in the combination of personalities. Ben’s just a joker and a really, really lovely actor to work with. And likewise, Tom. Tom’s just so sweet and nothing like Lennox, whatsoever. He’s so approachable and inherently good, and a very loving, doting father, and Colonel Lennox is none of those things. I really, really feel so lucky to have worked with such lovely people. It was lovely to reconnect with the old cast, and then all of the new additions were amazing people.
One of the things I love about this show are the lavish moments, whether it’s the dinner with the soldiers, or the ball with everybody dancing. What are those scenes like to shoot? What do you love about doing those big scenes, and what are the biggest challenges in actually pulling those off?
WILLIAMS: Yeah, they’re amazing, but always a challenge. There are times constraints. There are a multitude of elements that have to be wrangled when it comes to big scenes, be it time, the amount of background artists, and getting all the shots in when there’s so much to shoot. That does always become an issue when you are in a bigger space with more people, especially when there are dancing scenes involved, but I definitely always relish and learn from watching directors and different approaches to how to handle those big scenes. It’s always a lot of fun because everyone’s in them and the costumes are always fun. Despite them being quite challenging, I do look forward to the big set pieces because it’s also nice to be in a space with load of people. When I’ve done a week and a half, or two weeks, or three weeks of scenes where it’s just me and a handful of characters, to then come together for a ball, it’s as enjoyable as it would be for the characters in the story. Everybody connects together, which is a nice feeling.
At TCA, there was conversation about how this two-season pickup allowed for the opportunity to plot a longer arc, and that there are elements in Season 2 that pay off in Season 3. Did shooting the second season feel different, knowing that you would definitely get to return for a third season, instead of having to wait in limbo and wonder again?
WILLIAMS: Yeah, definitely. For me, it meant that I could loosely track a feeling and an intention for Chapter 2, and a feeling and an intention for Chapter 3. It meant that I could really focus on Charlotte, in a process of transformation in the second series, to then know that at the end of the arc and across the third series, she was gonna come into a more confident sense of self. It definitely played into how I felt about the approach of the character.
One of the things I love in Season 2 is all of these non-romantic relationships that she has, whether it’s her sister, or Georgiana, or the two girls that she’s the governess of. How much fun is it to get to explore so many different sides of the character, through each of these people in her life that are really helping her grow?
WILLIAMS: Whether it’s Miss Lambe, the Parkers, or even Lady Denham, Charlotte finds who she is through the other characters. Each character is going through their own challenge, but in different ways, and that becomes very evident across Season 3, when it comes to Georgiana and Charlotte. I’m really excited for people to see where Georgiana goes. But yeah, she definitely progresses through reflection, in looking at other characters and how they behave and respond to situations.
Does this feel like a character that will be hard for you to say goodbye to when you ultimately have to finally do that?
WILLIAMS: Yes and no. It’s a strange one. In every character, there are always bits of me that I’m trying to play on. But I feel like I’m happy for Charlotte and where things ended. Without giving too much away, I really enjoy her story. It feels like she’s flown off now and is living her life somewhere, in an imaginary world. So, it was more sad to say goodbye to the process and the team, with the crew and the cast. That’s always the hardest bit.
What is it like for you to figure out what to do next, after you do something like this? How do you go into reading projects and looking for things? Does it become more apparent to you what you don’t want to do, or is it just always an instinct when you read something?
WILLIAMS: It’s a good question. I think it is always instinct. It really depends. I don’t like to put limits on myself because the right thing comes along. Right before filmingSanditonSeries 2, I was playing quite a tough character in a spaghetti Western [That Dirty Black Bag], who has a lot of grit and darkness to her. So then, to come into Charlotte’s shoes, and she’s full of light, was really an interesting gear shift. After playing Charlotte, in a world that is full of so much heart, if projects come along that do explore the darker elements of life, that becomes more interesting. But then, saying that, who knows? There’s no rhyme or rhythm to it. If another Regency piece came along, and it feels right, and I feel like I could do something with the character, then I’d be infinitely grateful. I don’t know how the cookie will crumble, but that being said, I would like to play someone a bit darker next.
Would you want to explore something with a little more straightforward comedy and explore that side of yourself a little bit more?
WILLIAMS: Yeah, definitely. That is something I really wanna do. I had a small role in a film that’s coming out in the summer, which was my first comedy-leaning role, I suppose, but she’s a serious character. I found that really fun and freeing. I’m definitely open and wanting to explore that world.
