Sense and Sensibility (film) 1995, though some of the actors met with Thompson the previous year to help her conceptualise the script. Lee eventually cast all but one of them: Hugh Grant (as Edward Ferrars), Robert Hardy (as Sir John Middleton), Harriet Walter (as Fanny Ferrars Dashwood), Imelda Staunton (as Charlotte Jennings Palmer), and Hugh Laurie (as Mr. Palmer). Amanda Root had also worked with Thompson on the screenplay, but had already committed to star in the 1995 film "Persuasion". Commenting on the casting of Laurie, whom she had known for years, Thompson has said, "There is no one [else] on the planet who
Sense and Sensibility (2008 TV series) and that's important. But they give you a feel for the character which is really an advantage to you as an actor." Karen Hartley-Thomas was the hair and make-up designer for the production. She began prepping a couple of months before filming began, and she met with the director and producer early on to discuss the whole look of the film. Like the costumers, she read books and went to art galleries during her research. The female characters in "Sense and Sensibility" wear a "no make-up look" because in the time period in which the film is set, only the