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PEOPLE & ARTS Thursday 6 February 2020
Jane Austen, actress create PBS costume drama diversity

By LYNN ELBER er (expletive) maid," she
AP Television Writer recalled thinking. "When
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Crys- I was reading it, I was like,
tal Clarke could imagine "Wait a minute, there's ac-
herself playing the heroine tually a lot to it.' I was re-
of a period costume dra- ally surprised at what kind
ma, a genre that regularly of character this was they
makes its way to TV and were trying to create."
film screens with potential Lambe is a historically cred-
breakout roles for young ible figure, not modern wish
actresses. But the African fulfillment for diversity, ac-
American tempered her cording to an expert on
expectations. Austen and her times.
"I had hope for myself and "Race relations were a real
I knew what I could do. But thing and very complex in
the sad part comes in: 'Oh, 18th-century Britain," said
other people around me Devoney Looser, author of
would never see me that "The Making of Jane Aus-
way,'" said the New Jersey- ten" and an Arizona State
born Clarke, a graduate University professor. There
of the Royal Conservatoire were an estimated 10,000
of Scotland whose credits people of African or Afro- This image released by PBS shows Crystal Clarke as Miss Lambe from the series MASTERPIECE:
include "Black Mirror" and Caribbean descent in Lon- Sandition," airing Sundays on PBS.
two "Star Wars" films. don as the 19th century ap- Associated Press
Then Jane Austen came to proached, she said, about
the rescue. When the nov- 1% of the city's population understanding of the anti- Lambe, a young, biracial hands. Georgiana Lambe
elist died in the summer of of around 1 million. slavery movement. Two heiress from the West Indies and the drama's central
1817, she left behind an Austen, who famously re- Austen works, "Mansfield — the center of the British female character, Char-
unfinished draft that served ferred in letters to "the little Park" and "Emma," mention slave trade that was part of lotte (Rose Williams), meet
as source material for PBS' bit (2 inches wide) of ivo- slavery, with one character her heritage. and bond as visitors to the
"Masterpiece" drama se- ry" as her artistic canvas defending another as "al- "There were only two words seaside village of Sanditon.
ries "Sanditon" and offered and "four or five families in ways rather a friend to the used by Jane Austen to de- Charlotte's love interest,
Clarke an unexpected op- a county village" its con- abolition." scribe Miss Lambe, 'chilly' Sidney (Theo James) is the
portunity: Miss Lambe, the tained focus, should not Wherever Austen intended and 'tender.' And I I took orphaned Lambe's guard-
sole character of color in be viewed as uninformed to take her incomplete 'chilly' very literally to mean ian on the series airing
Austen's works. or indifferent to the outside novel, the task of develop- that she found the climate through Feb. 23 and avail-
When the script first came world, Looser said. ing it for "Sanditon" fell to very unpleasant," Davies able online at pbs.org.
to her, Clarke, 26, ap- "This idea that she wasn't screenwriter Andrew Da- said. "'Tender' is ambiguous. "It would seem quite natural
proached it with under- paying attention to history vies, whose Austen adap- I took it to mean vulnera- that Charlotte would be-
standable reservation. or politics is false. I think tations include 1995's "Pride ble, quick to see slights and friend her, because Char-
What would such a woman she was very keyed into and Prejudice" miniseries. prejudice in others, which lotte is a very open-minded
be if not in the background history and politics," she The characters he inherited she does find, of course." sort of character and quick
and servile? said, which in Austen's time this time around included She became a more spir- to see injustice and call it
"It's just going to be anoth- would have required an the the briefly sketched ited character in Davies' out," Davies said. q

Radio host Limbaugh awarded

Presidential Medal of Freedom

By MATTHEW DALY ed next to first lady Melania Limbaugh said Monday he
WASHINGTON (AP) — Con- Trump, looked stunned as intends to work as much as
servative talk radio host the president announced possible. He also said he
Rush Limbaugh was award- the award. He eventually had focused more "intense-
ed the Presidential Medal stood and saluted Trump ly" in the past two weeks on
of Freedom, the nation's and offered a thumbs-up what he called his "deeply
highest civilian honor, dur- to Republicans in the House personal relationship" with
ing the State of the Union chamber. God.
address Tuesday night. Melania Trump presented Limbaugh is widely cred-
Limbaugh, 69, a staunch the award to Limbaugh, ited as key to Republicans'
supporter of President Don- placing the blue-ribboned takeover of Congress in Rush Limbaugh reacts as first Lady Melania Trump, and his wife
Kathryn, applaud, as President Donald Trump delivers his State
ald Trump, announced gold medal around his 1994 and has strongly sup- of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill
Monday he is battling ad- neck. ported Trump and other in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020.
vanced lung cancer. Trump thanked Limbaugh Republicans. Associated Press
Trump said the diagnosis for "decades of tireless de- Limbaugh has frequently
was not good news, but votion to our country" and been accused of hate-filled his show that said former His popularity has survived
added, "What is good news said the award recognized speech, including bigotry President Barack Obama brickbats and thrived de-
is that he is the greatest the millions of people a day and blatant racism through "makes guilty whites feel spite personal woes. In 2003,
fighter and winner that you Limbaugh speaks to and in- his comments and sketches good" and called Obama Limbaugh admitted an ad-
will ever meet.'' spires, as well as his charity such as "Barack the Magic "black, but not authenti- diction to painkillers and
A bearded Limbaugh, seat- work. Negro," a song featured on cally." entered rehabilitation.q