Family classic The Secret Garden arrives in cinemas and on Sky Cinema this week with an updated setting. Originally released in book form in 1911, director Marc Munden and writer Jack Thorne have brought the Frances Hodgson Burnett classic forward in time to the late 1940s.
It tells the story of Mary Lennox, a ten year old sent to live with her reclusive uncle on his country estate after the sudden death of her parents. She begins to uncover family secrets, including discovering a cousin she never knew she had shut away in a wing of the house and a mysterious hidden garden, which has healing powers. And it changes her life – and that of her family – for ever.
Mary is played by Dixie Egerickx (Summerland, The Little Stranger), who beat hundreds of other hopefuls to the role. In our interview below, she talks about why she wanted to play the part and working alongside four-legged co-star, Fozzie, the dog which first leads her to the garden.
Martha, the maid in the household and the only adult who spends time with Mary, never gets to see the garden – something that Isis Davis, who plays her, thinks is a real shame. She talks about working with Julie Walters, who plays her boss, as well as why she’s been missing acting during lockdown.
The Secret Garden is in cinemas and on Sky Cinema from 23 October.
