Sense and Sensibility (film) could capture Mr. Palmer's disenchantment and redemption so perfectly, and make it funny." Thompson wrote the part of Edward Ferrars with Grant in mind, and he agreed to receive a lower salary in line with the film's budget. Grant called her screenplay "genius", explaining "I've always been a philistine about Jane Austen herself, and I think Emma's script is miles better than the book and much more amusing." Grant's casting was criticised by the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA), whose representatives said that he was too handsome for the part. Actress Kate Winslet initially intended to audition for
Emma Donoghue Emma Donoghue Emma Donoghue (born 24 October 1969) is an Irish-Canadian playwright, literary historian, novelist, and screenwriter. Her 2010 novel "Room" was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize and an international best-seller. Donoghue's 1995 novel "Hood" won the Stonewall Book Award. and "Slammerkin" (2000) won the Ferro-Grumley Award for Lesbian Fiction. "Room" was adapted into a film of the same name, for which Donoghue wrote the screenplay which was subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Donoghue was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1969. The youngest of eight children, she is the daughter of Frances (née