The Making of Hallmark Mahogany’s “Sense and Sensibility”

“As a card-carrying Jane-ite, I really wanted to make sure that we preserved the story, that we stayed true to it, those tones of love, of sisterhood, of hope,” shared Tia A. Smith, executive producer of Hallmark Mahogany’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. The film airs tonight, part of Hallmark Channel’s month-long “Loveuary” theme, which has included a Jane Austen-inspired film every Saturday. But unlike Paging Mr. Darcy, Love & Jane, and An American in Austen, which were all contemporary films inspired by Austen’s classic novels, Sense and Sensibility is a faithful adaptation told through a Black lens. “Making sure that that story was protected, that the authenticity was there, was key to what we were doing.” A lot of care and attention to detail was put into making the film as authentic as possible. “There was no decision that was just whimsical. We were very intentional that we wanted to stay true to it while also reimagining it.” Tia A. Smith was joined by additional members of the creative team, plus a member of the cast, during the TCA Winter Press Tour.

“When I was given the immense honor and opportunity to head up the Mahogany initiative at Hallmark, this was one of the first projects that I wanted to do,” revealed Toni Judkins, Senior Vice President of Development at Hallmark Media. “It's a journey to love and all the different ways that we as women have to learn how to get out of our own way, have to learn how to give ourselves over to the experience of love, and have to teach men sometimes. So, having that as a foundation, it really gave us the room to try and figure out those other elements that would make it Mahogany… Having such a great property to begin with, and then figuring out, what are the other layers that we can start putting in this that would not only make it Mahogany, that would make it unique and different?”

One of the things that makes this adaptation of Sense and Sensibility unique and different is in its bold use of colors for the costume designs. “It was really about telling the fashion story along with the story of all the characters,” explained Costume Designer Kara Saun, who had to create sixty-eight original costumes for the film. “If you see Elinor, she starts out in these muted colors of lavender and mint, and it really represented her persona, her character, which was very muted in the beginning. She couldn't say that she was in love with Edward. It was a very muted look. And then when you see Marianne, she has all these beautiful vibrant colors of rose and raspberry. I really wanted to bring our own unique style and vision to Sense and Sensibility. These colors did exist in the Regency era. You may not see it all the time in the Regency era films, but they were a part of the Regency era, and it was us just bringing it to light that there was this mint color, there was this raspberry color. Just think of the color of any flower that you can make into fabric. Even the Steele sisters. When Sir Middleton talked about the Steele sisters, he talked about them being sweet, so I put them in canary yellow and pink. They weren't sweet, but you found that out later, but to have them in these colors, like every color, I call it raison d'etre, which is reason for being. Everything that I designed in this movie had a reason for being. There's nothing there just by chance. It's all intentional.” There’s a whole color theory to Kara Saun’s approach, including the jealous Fanny, who is always in shades of envious green.

“It was really difficult to find women of color for that time,” Hair Designer Kim Kimble shared about the lack of resources available when it came to styling hair and wigs for the production. “I leaned on Vanessa [Riley, Regency-Era Consultant] a lot, just to make sure that it was accurate.” Vanessa’s expertise dictated period-specific customs, such as when a lady’s hair could be down or when it had to be up, and when hats were required or optional. “There were no relaxers, there wasn't a lot of pressing combs, there weren’t some of the modern techniques that we have now for styling. But I wanted it to look beautiful and styled, and incorporate things like braids, and texture into the hair. We've made some of our own accessories to add in there to make it colorful, romantic, and beautiful.” As with the costumes, the hairstyles also help tell the story, with fancier dos when the Dashwood sisters have riches, and less elaborate ones when they go to rags.

Mahogany’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility comes on the heels of the ITV/PBS adaptation of Jane Austin’s uncompleted manuscript, Sanditon, which featured more diversity than your typical Jane Austen screen adaptation. So, too, does HBO’s The Gilded Age, which folded in some Black American historical figures from the era. “There were 15 to 20,000 free Blacks living in London during this timeframe,” Vanessa Riley explained. As an expert on all things Regency, and a historical fiction novelist, there was no one better to assist this adaptation of Sense and Sensibility in becoming a faithful adaptation of Jane Austen’s masterpiece, but told through a Black lens. “Phillis Wheatley’s poetry was published in London during this timeframe. There was General Thomas Alexandre Dumas from the Caribbean. He's fighting for Napoleon. They're war heroes. There are heiresses. Many know about Dido Belle, but many don't know about Dorothy Kirwan Thomas. She was the richest woman in the Caribbean. She had an affair with Prince William.” As someone who is regularly inspired by nuggets of history for her writing, Vanessa Riley is excited for the opportunities that will be unlocked through Mahogany’s Sense and Sensibility. “We need to see more of these stories because when we see more of these stories, it's not going to be foreign… You will already have it in your imagination because everybody has a part of this world and this history.”

The lone member of the cast on the panel was Deborah Ayorinde (Them), who plays Elinor. “I knew about Pride and Prejudice, but I never watched or read it,” the actress shared, adding that this role exposed her to the world of Jane Austen and made her a fan. “Jane Austen was ahead of her time. I think about what it would be like to be a woman and think like her. To be so racy and and call certain people out.” As a British-Nigerian actress raised in the United States, Deborah didn’t have any challenges getting used to the Regency-era dialogue. “The way they spoke then, we don’t speak [like that] now, but I felt like the words just flowed… When you understand what your character is trying to say, I feel like it just falls into place.”

Naturally, there are a lot of pieces that fall into place in Mahogany’s Sense and Sensibility. At the heart of it is a story that fits right at home with the brand’s core values: Love, sisterhood, and hope. Sense and Sensibility premieres tonight at 8/7c on Hallmark Channel. It will then be available to stream on Hallmark Movies Now, playing on-demand through cable providers, and coming to streaming platforms with a Hallmark partnership like Peacock and Hulu.