Frank Dillane is crystal clear about why he took on Sense and Sensibility (Picture: Focus Features) Frank Dillane can still walk down the street unbothered, taking the tube and ‘getting on with my life’. But all of that could be about to change with him playing John Willoughby, one of Jane Austen’s most notorious rakes, in the new big-screen Sense and Sensibility. The 35-year-old actor and musician has been working since he was a teenager, later leading TV spin-off Fear The Walking Dead out of drama school for four seasons, and starring opposite the likes of Chris Hemsworth and Cillian Murphy in In the Heart of the Sea (2015), Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes in The Essex Serpent and as the mentor and lover of Sophie Turner’s professional jewel thief in 2024’s Joan. However, his nuanced take on Willoughby opposite Daisy Edgar-Jones as heroine Elinor, the roguish charmer who enchants her romantic younger sister Marianne (played by Samantha Morton’s daughter Esmé Creed-Miles) in the newest Jane Austen adaptation, is going to make a splash. He’s a character Austen fans love to hate, just like heartbreaker Wickham in Pride and Prejudice, and Dillane is bracing for impact. ‘There’s a lot of very upset young ladies claiming Willoughby is a red flag,’ he says of his press day so far when he spekas to Metro ‘so I’m less worried about fangirl attention in that sense and more nervous about the hatred that might come with it,’ he laughs. He playfully imagines being shouted at on the street: ‘“You ghosted Marianne! Why didn’t you marry her?!” The actor plays John Willoughby in one of Jane Austen’s most notorious rakes (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage) {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Sense and Sensibility - Trailer","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/06\/25\/189643616936048107\/480x270_MP4_189643616936048107.mp4","description":"Based on Jane Austen's iconic masterpiece, Sense and Sensibility, stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esm\u00e9 Creed-Miles, Caitr\u00edona Balfe, George MacKay, and Fiona Shaw.","duration":"T2M24S","height":270,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/06\/25\/13\/109594077-0-image-a-16_1782390822143.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-06-25T13:32:32+0100","width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); But while Dillane may be slightly nervously anticipating the reception to his performance, he’s crystal clear about why he took on the role. ‘The opportunity to reinterpret a character that comes with a lot of baggage was a very exciting prospect for me. I intuitively felt that I could have a different take on him, having spoken to [director] Georgia [Oakley], and heard what her vision for the film was.’ This Sense and Sensibility is refreshingly different to the celebrated 1995 adaptation from Emma Thompson, directed by Ang Lee and co-starring Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman and Greg Wise as Willoughby. It’s more earthy, biting and unafraid to look at some of its characters in a new light – while remaining true to the spirit of Austen’s text. Dillane hadn’t seen the previous film version before being cast; he then opted to keep himself from it so he could focus on working with Oakley and Diana Reid’s script to ‘reinvent’ the part. But his first port of call in prepping for Willoughby was a very sensible one indeed. ‘One of the first things I did was I spoke to a lot of the women in my life and asked them what their perception of Willoughby was and collected a picture that way before approaching the book,’ he says. Sense And Sensibility is one of 2026’s most-anticipated films (Picture: Focus Features LLC/Alex Bailey) A lot of people will have encountered Willoughby types on the dating scene, and we even have words for his actions now, like ‘love-bombing’ (such as when he buys Marianne a horse) and ‘ghosting’. Dillane accepts he may be ‘the only person in the world who’s going to be fighting his corner’ when it comes to defending Willoughby’s conduct, gamely agreeing that he is ‘very, very much Team Willoughby’ and supporting his character over that of Marianne’s other suitor, the older and more reserved Colonel Brandon (played by Norwegian actor Herbert Nordrum). ‘Well, I have to be!’ he points out. But the actor – a little nervous during the interview and always careful to pick his words – reaches peak flow state when it comes to laying out his take on Willoughby’s behaviour. It feels like he’s been waiting for this moment. ‘He gets his heart broken as well. I think he’s a tragic character. Everything works out for everyone except Willoughby. I also think it is slightly cruel and unfair to blame Willoughby for burning in the same fire that everyone else is burning in,’ Dillane reasons, pointing out that the Dashwood sisters spend the story assessing suitors’ wealth, status and looks as they contend with losing their home following their father’s death. ‘I feel he is as much a victim of the times as everyone else and I don’t believe he is manipulative or sitting there twiddling his moustache,’ he adds. ‘I believe he did intend to marry her – I believe him.’ Dillane hadn’t seen the previous film version before being cast (Picture: Kate Green/Getty Images for Universal Pictures) For Dillane it was ‘an opportunity to investigate the libertine – or the cad – what exactly these archetypes are’. ‘And for me, it’s about love and joy and passion and poetry and exuberance – and those things are real and valid and beautiful, and I love Willoughby for those things.’  Dillane is from a true family of actors – his father is Game of Thrones actor Stephen Dillane, who was also nominated for an Emmy playing Thomas Jefferson in the HBO miniseries John Adams, while his mother is actress Naomi Wirthner, perhaps most recognised for playing Molly Doran in Apple TV’s Slow Horses. His brother, Seamus Dillane, is also an actor – as are his uncle and aunt. The first role he is credited with is as Christopher, the son of his dad’s character ITN reporter Michael Henderson in the 1997 film Welcome to Sarajevo, although Dillane isn’t sure he’s properly in it really – ‘possibly a very small quick shot.’ Dillane does have fond early memories of the set, too. ‘I remember meeting Woody Harrelson, really liking Woody on that film and playing with him a lot.’ But he’s keen to emphasise that his childhood wasn’t starry as a rule. ‘My father is a great actor but spent most of his years when I was growing up in theatre, so a lot of my childhood was spent there. My mum is also an amazing actress and artist. ‘Film and all of that stuff came late to my family.’ Dillane accepts he may be ‘the only person in the world who’s going to be fighting his corner’ with his character (Picture: Joe Maher/Getty Images) But Dillane did manage to squeeze in another pretty incredible film experience before attending drama school, when he replaced Christian Coulson as the 16-year-old Tom Riddle for 2009’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It’s hard to think of any set that can rival that one in terms of star-power. ‘I feel very lucky to have been a part of that franchise because you’re right, there’s so many brilliant actors in it. And to be a part of that ensemble is fantastic. I was a baby, I was very young,’ Dillane recalls. ‘So for me, it was just kind of a dream come true.’ POLL Poll Will you be seeing Sense and Sensibility in the cinema? Yes, I'm there in a heartbeatCheck Not my cup of teaCheck I'll wait to watch it at homeCheck As we speak, one of the biggest roles for young British actors is still publicly vacant, whether or not that’s still true given the rampant rumours – Bond. ‘I am James Bond! How’s that for a headline?’ Dillane laughs. I have a feeling I’d likely not get a confession that quickly from the next 007, but as a well-regarded, highly experienced young actor on the cusp of a major breakthrough moment – and with a varied career behind him – is that kind of franchise something that appeals? ‘I think there’s a misconception with actors that we can handpick our careers – you audition for things or you get offered things or you meet people and you have conversations. But personally, I’m very open to interpretation. I don’t have a list of characters I want to play. I enjoy taking life as it comes.’ Sense and Sensibility is in UK cinemas from Friday, September 25.