By Jennifer McShane
23rd Nov 2019
23rd Nov 2019
The hype is steadily building for Greta Gerwig’s Little Women adaptation. With a starry cast and no expense spared on a glorious production, it has all the makings of a remake that will tick all the right boxes. As ever, Saoirse Ronan, cast as the fiery Jo March, is a perfect casting choice, as a newly-released clip reveals
In the clip, Ronan, as the punchy Jo March, and Timothée Chalamet as a dreamy Laurie recreate the same scene from the original film, in which the pair attempt to dance at a high-society party whilst hiding Jo’s burnt dress – with neither taking themselves too seriously. It’s a key scene that cements their friendship, and proof that the Lady Bird couple is on flying form once again.
“I loved that in Lady Bird, [Chalamet] was the one that broke my heart, but I got to break his heart in Little Women,” Ronan told Vanity Fair who demonstrates (as usual) a perfect American accent.
Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is one of the most popular books in history. Back in 1868, the first volume sold out its initial run of 2,000 copies and the novel has never been out of print since. Saoirse’s character Jo is a determined, stubborn tomboy with a flair for writing.
Gerwig’s critically acclaimed directorial debut was Lady Bird, which also featured Saoirse alongside Timothée Chalamet, who is back here as boy-next-door Theodore “Laurie” Laurence.
Related: Watch: The first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s ‘Little Women’ is here
The cast also includes Laura Dern, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Meryl Streep and Emma Watson.
Ronan plays Jo March and Pugh plays Amy March. Scanlen portrays Beth March; Watson is Meg March; Dern is Marmee March and Streep is Aunt March.
A new relationship
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the director explained that she looked at the relationship of Jo and Laurie in new ways, even having the pair swap clothes on set.
“Jo is a girl with a boy’s name, Laurie is a boy with a girl’s name,” she says. “In some ways, they are each other’s twins.”
Leaning into this, costume director Jacqueline Durran had the two actors subtly exchange items of clothing throughout the film, further blurring the lines between where Jo begins and Laurie ends.
“They find each other before they’ve committed to a gender,” Greta explained. “It wouldn’t be wrong to call Saoirse handsome and Timothée beautiful. Both have a slightly androgynous quality that makes them perfect for these characters.”
The remake promises to be a sweeping, romantic take on the classic novel; a period film with modern, feminist sentiment as four headstrong women seek to find their way in the world. In the time of the beloved March family, it was hard for women to earn their own money, and almost impossible for them to keep it if they were contractually bound to a man.
In another new clip (above), Florence Pugh’s Amy March makes that exact dilemma clear to Laurie, who has the luxury of being an impractical hopeless romantic while she does not.
We have high hopes for the film, set to land in Irish cinemas on December 26.
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