In an exclusive MASTERPIECE interview, Miss Austen’s Synnøve Karlsen explores Cassy Austen’s pivotal role in shaping her sister Jane’s literary legacy. She reflects on sibling bonds, sacrifices women still make, and reveals the electrifying gift Keeley Hawes gave her on set. Plus, find out how Synnøve and Keeley might just be kindred spirits in more ways than one!
Cassandra says at one point, “There is no greater comfort in this world than a sister.” Do you relate to that at all personally?
I can relate to that in some ways, yes. I don’t personally have a sister—I have three brothers—but I do in certain ways because my cousins have always been my sisters. And in that relationship with siblings, you don’t always see eye to eye, but as you grow up you realize how much all of your experiences are shared. I imagine with a sister it’s even more so—especially in that time period, it would’ve really been a best friend, confidant, someone that you’ve really shared your life with and the closest person to you.
Cassy repeatedly makes sacrifices, particularly about her own happiness. How do you think that resonates with a modern female audience?
Oh, that’s very interesting. What are they going to think? Historically, it’s sort of this ubiquitous idea of being a woman, isn’t it? Women make sacrifices all the time, every day as mothers, as women trying to forge their paths in a career … There tends to be so much sacrifice among women. So, I think a modern female audience will relate to that. But [in Cassy’s case], there’s something really beautiful in that sacrifice and acknowledging you are doing it for someone who you see such talent in, and believe in so much.
Cassandra Austen is often considered a footnote in Jane’s story, but this series puts her center stage. Has her legacy been misunderstood?
I think Cassandra has been misunderstood; some Austen fans have seen what she did as a sort of vandalism of Jane’s art. But I just don’t believe that private correspondences deserve to be public knowledge. There’s something quite powerful about thinking, “Oh no, this is private. This is the Jane who we knew, and not everyone needs to know her.” And in a way, I think that an artist should be known for their work.
It’s challenging nowadays because we’re all-over social media where so much is being shared. We’re just so used to having access to all of everyone’s lives all the time. But maybe [the loss of Jane’s letters] might have actually added to her legacy. There’s a certain mystery there. But yes, I believe Cassandra’s act has been misunderstood and I think everyone deserves the right to privacy.
Writers like Emily Dickinson and Franz Kafka also had personal letters destroyed after their deaths. Does your reaction to those losses differ from how you feel about Jane Austen’s case?
I guess we’ve lost their insight, their inner thinking and whatever it was they were going through in their lives. Yeah, it is interesting. We know what Van Gogh was going through as he painted and that is fascinating. Knowing all that adds context to what they were working on. So, in that sense, yes, there is something that’s lost. But I still think there’s something kind of marvelous about a sister protecting her sibling’s legacy.
What was it like working opposite Patsy Ferran, especially with the buzz around her performance in 2025’s revival of A Streetcar Named Desire? Did you two have a favorite scene together?
She’s just the greatest scene partner ever. I had so much fun with her. I was thrilled to know that she was playing Jane when I found out. Patsy’s an incredible theatre actress; she really encouraged me to go on stage. The way she approaches her script and the language that’s in front of her, she fully embodies things. But more than that, we just had a truly lovely time working together and got on really, really well.
We had a lovely time down in Rye on England’s south coast where we were filming as the sun was quickly setting—just walking along the beach arm in arm. We didn’t even have any dialogue, but it was magical. You have like one minute left of the day’s shoot, and you’ve already gone over by 10 minutes and [the crew’s] yelling, “Go everyone! Just get in place and walk.” But there’s something in the chaos where greatness is captured; it creates this calmness for an actor because you know that this is your only chance, so you just kind of go for it. That’s what’s so fun about filming really. There’s always chaos and then out of the chaos somehow comes something really calm and beautiful.
You and Keeley Hawes previously played mother and daughter in the sci-fi TV series The Midwich Cuckoos (2022). Here you share the role of Cassandra Austen. Do you personally see yourselves in each other?
I’d never thought much about it. But before I got the Midwich Cuckoos role, my friend’s husband said, “Oh, you could really play a young Keeley Hawes.” And then at the audition I thought, “Oh, maybe what he said will come true.” I saw Keeley recently and there was this strange thing where I was like, “Wow, I really almost see myself in her,” or I felt like I was sort of talking to myself or something. So yes, I do now see that similarity. And I’ll take it. She’s wonderful.
We’ve read Keeley Hawes had a secret trick to stay cozy on the chilly set. Do tell us about her electric socks!
Oh yeah, they were great. She got me two pairs. They’re these strange thick socks with some sort of lining in them. At the top of the sock, a little wire comes out with a tiny mini battery pack that you can recharge. And I tell you what, they made a huge difference. I was filming on the beach in January on the south coast of England and we were shooting it for summer. Most of the time we were all just shaking furiously and freezing. But those socks really helped because there’s only so much a warm coat being thrown on you every five, 10 minutes can actually do in a costume that’s not designed for winter weather.
Keeley had filmed in December and then my storyline filmed in January. So, as a kind of parting gift, she got me two packets of electric socks saying, “You’ll need these.”
