Sex Education's Emma Mackey reveals hardest scene didn't make it into Emily

"It was so charged."

By Iona Rowan and Jo Berry

6 Oct 2022

Warner Bros.

Sex Education star Emma Mackey has revealed the hardest scene she filmed for her upcoming movie Emily didn't make the final cut.

Starring Mackey in the titular role, the biopic follows the early life of one of the world's most famous authors, Emily Brontë, up until she writes the literary classic Wuthering Heights.

While there are many dark and moving scenes in this retelling of the rebel novelist, Mackey told Digital Spy the hardest one she filmed didn't make it into the movie.

Refraining from giving too much away, she revealed: "There are some things that aren't in the film also which I remember filming — the mask..."

Frances O'Connor, who wrote and directed the film, replied: "Oh, when you smash it?"

"Yeah. I remember that," added Mackey. "I think I did it three times and it was like 'I can't do this anymore' it was like too much."

After O'Connor asked if she was "devastated" the scene had been cut, Mackey joked she was "totally devastated," before continuing: "But no, it was so charged, there were so many scenes that very charged — I don't want to be too actor-y about it — there were many hard scenes but it was always fun to do because you have something real to get your teeth stuck into."

Warner Bros.

Dunkirk's Fionn Whitehead stars alongside Mackey as Emily's brother Branwell in the movie, while The Lost Daughter star Oliver Jackson-Cohen is her forbidden love Weightman.

Alexandra Dowling (The Musketeers) and Amelia Gething play Brontë's other literary sisters, Charlotte and Anne, respectively.

Line of Duty's Adrian Dunbar and Gentleman Jack's Gemma Jones round out the main cast as Emily's father and aunt.

Emily will be released in UK cinemas on October 14.