Who can forget that iconic lake scene, when Mr. Darcy, played by Colin Firth, emerges dripping from the lake, white shirt clinging to his body? Austen herself has several times been quoted as saying the scene fits so seamlessly into her story that she can’t believe she didn’t include it. (I paraphrased a little there.) Just for fun, here are a few facts you might not have known about the memorable scene from the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice.
- It’s been remade and remade again.
In Bridget Jones’ Diary, it’s Hugh Grant (playing Wickham!) who falls into the lake, while Colin Firth looks wistfully on, remembering his clinging shirt days.
In the Bridgerton series, male protagonist Anthony falls into a lake and emerges in a white shirt strikingly similar to the BBC original. Coincidence? Not at all. Chris Van Dusen, Bridgerton’s creator and director, states that a lot of thought and research went into that scene. “We tested that white shirt to make sure it was just the right amount of see through and clingy enough,” he says. “We worked really hard to make that moment magical and memorable.” Thank you, Chris. A loose, opaque shirt would have been ridiculously inconsistent with Austen’s vision.
2. YOU can buy the shirt at a London auction!
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