Matthew Macfadyen Admits He ‘Couldn’t See’ During This Infamous Pride & Prejudice Scene

Thankfully, we saw it all just fine.

Matthew Macfadyen recently admitted that he couldn't see while filming one of the most famous scenes in his 2005 classic, Pride & Prejudice.

The Succession star and Emmy winner, 50, struggled with his vision while filming the long walk in the field, he told Letterboxd at the SXSW red carpet for Holland. Macfadyen shared, "I was a long way from the camera, and it's a very long lens; I'm shortsighted, so I couldn't see the director. He was waving a red dressing gown or something like a red carpet. They were so far away, the crew, so that's all I was thinking about." 

The 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, directed by Joe Wright, was released in November of that year. Keira Knightley, 39, starred as heroine Elizabeth Bennet and received an Oscar nomination for her performance. Macfadyen played Mr. Darcy. 

The cast — which included both well-established actors and those who've become stars in the years since — also included Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, Dame Judi Dench, Carey Mulligan, Talulah Riley, Rupert Friend, Brenda Blethyn and the late Donald Sutherland. The film grossed more than $120 million worldwide and has become a favorite for romance lovers everywhere.

This is a big year for Pride & Prejudice as 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the film, and the 1995 BBC Pride & Prejudice miniseries, starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, will turn 30 this September. The Austen novel itself turns 212. 

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When noting that Pride & Prejudice was one of many Letterboxd members' Four Favorites, Macfadyen remarked on the movie's staying power. 

"Pride & Prejudice has had legs, hasn't it?" Macfadyen shared. "I don't know how things are going to continue and whether they'll last or whether people will keep watching them but that seems to — people are still watching it."

In an interview with CBS Mornings last year, Macfadyen shared that he still gets recognized as Mr. Darcy, despite the time that has passed. "I think probably the most flattering thing that happens to me now is people say, 'Were you Mr. Darcy?' and it's a good 20 years later," he said. "So I think, 'I can't be aging that badly.' "