'Pride and Prejudice' Cast: Then and Now

Keira Knightley starred in Pride and Prejudice as Elizabeth Bennet, the second-eldest daughter of the Bennet family and the movie's main character. "I'd been obsessed with Pride and Prejudice since I was about eight," Knightley said in an interview with BBC. She was 20 years old when she starred in the 2005 film. She'd already starred in other notable movies at this point in time, including Love Actually and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Knightley turns 40 years old in 2025. Her most recent projects have included the TV series Black Doves and The Sound Collector. She'll soon be starring in The Woman in Cabin 10, a psychological thriller based on the novel by Ruth Ware. She has been married to musician James Righton since 2013 and has two children.

Matthew Macfadyen played the dashing Mr. Darcy in the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Viewers everywhere swooned when he declared to Elizabeth, "You have bewitched me, body and soul." However, Macfadyen later said he didn't really enjoy playing the role of Mr. Darcy because he worried he had been miscast.

Many people recognize Macfadyen from his role on HBO's Succession, in which he played Tom Wambsgans. Macfadyen won Best Supporting Actor Emmys in 2022 and 2023 for playing the character. He also starred in 2024's Deadpool and Wolverine as Mr. Paradox. Macfadyen is married to fellow actress Keeley Hawes. The couple wed in 2004 and have two kids together, Maggie and Ralph.

Brenda Blethyn played the energetic Mrs. Bennet, the matriarch of the family. Her character is eager to have at least one of her five daughters marry a wealthy man. Prior to playing Mrs. Bennet in 2005, Blethyn had already starred in many movies and TV shows, including Secrets & Lies, Saving Grace, and Little Voice, for which she received an Oscar nomination.

Blethyn, who turns 79 this year, has continued to have starring roles in TV, film, and theatre. She played detective Vera Stanhope in the British television series Vera from 2011 to 2025. She shared in an interview that she decided to step away from the role after 14 years to spend more time with her family.

British actress Talulah Riley was 20 years old when Pride and Prejudice was released in 2005. She played the bookish Mary Bennet, the middle daughter of the family and one who is not at all interested in romance. Pride and Prejudice was the actress' second role ever; her first was in an episode of the television show Poirot.

Since 2005, Riley has starred in TV shows like Westworld, Pistol, and Doctor Who. In 2024, she married actor Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who many recognize from Love Actually. She was previously married to Elon Musk from 2010 to 2012. They got divorced and then remarried in 2013, and divorced for a second time in 2016.

Rosamund Pike played Jane, the eldest of the Bennet sisters in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice. She was 26 years old when the film debuted in 2005, but had already had several roles in TV and film, including in A Rather English Marriage — her first onscreen role — Die Another Day, and The Libertine.

Since 2005, Pike has gone on to star in major films including Saltburn, I Care A Lot, and Gone Girl, among many others. She's also done voice acting for video games and podcasts, as well as roles in theatre, music videos, and television. She's been dating businessman Robie Uniacke since 2009 and they have two children: Solo and Atom.

Jena Malone was only 19 years old when she played Lydia Bennet, the youngest daughter of the Bennet family who ultimately runs away with a handsome lieutenant named Wickham. Despite her young age, she had already worked on more than two dozen projects, spanning movies, music videos, and TV shows before she starred in Pride and Prejudice.

After Pride and Prejudice, Malone continued to have a busy career with roles in movies including The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 and Part 2 and The Neon Demon. More recently, she's starred in 2024 films Love Lies Bleeding and Little Death. Her son Ode was born in May 2016.

Pride and Prejudice was Carey Mulligan's first film role at the age of 20. She played Kitty Bennet, one of the family's younger daughters. In the movie, she is especially close with her younger sister Lydia, who was portrayed by Jena Malone. In an interview about her career, she said, "My first job was with Donald Sutherland, Judi Dench, and Brenda Blethyn — these extraordinary actors. So I got to watch and learn."

After a notable start to her career with Pride and Prejudice, Mulligan went on to star in major films including An Education, The Great Gatsby, Inside Llewyn Davis, and Promising Young Woman. She has been nominated for the Best Actress Oscar three times. In 2012, she married musician Marcus Mumford. They have three children: Evelyn, Wilfred, and a baby girl born in 2023 whose name has not been publicly shared.