“I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed right now,” says Patsy Ferran. She’s sitting in the study of her London home as morning sunlight filters through the blinds. Behind her, shelves are lined with colorful books, and a vintage It’s a Wonderful Life poster adorns the wall. “I’ve been immersed in stories about women who lose themselves, self-destruct, then eventually find some kind of resolution,” she continues. “It’s the kind of thing that was everywhere seven or eight years ago with writers like Ottessa Moshfegh. I loved it at the time, but now—maybe because I’m getting older—I just think, Girls, come on!”

Ferran has spent the morning reading Sarahland by Sam Cohen, a quirky, multi-Sarah fable that reignited her enthusiasm. “I enjoyed it so much I nearly missed my Tube stop yesterday,” she admits.

It makes sense that this story would captivate her—Ferran has spent years playing increasingly complex roles on stage and screen. One of her latest is Jane Austen herself in Miss Austen, the PBS adaptation of Gill Hornby’s 2020 novel. Ferran plays the sharp-witted, mischievous author of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, bringing charm and perfect comic timing to the role (opposite Keeley Hawes as Austen’s sister, Cassandra). As fans celebrate the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth this year, the show offers Regency-era elegance, a brilliant cast, and a story exploring sisterhood, grief, and the quiet defiance of women.

She’s also starred as Blanche DuBois opposite Paul Mescal’s Stanley in Rebecca Frecknall’s A Streetcar Named Desire revival and appeared in Black Mirror’s latest season as an AI assistant in one of the anthology’s most poignant episodes.

The Spanish-British actor admits she was nervous about bringing Streetcar to New York’s Brooklyn Academy of Music after its West End success. “We were taking this beloved American play to New York with a very British, unconventional approach,” she recalls. “I fully expected rejection. I knew about the New York run for a year and a half, so I had that long to brace myself for bad reviews.”

Eventually, she shifted her mindset: “I thought, Let’s just approach this as an experiment—offer it with an open heart and see what happens. If they don’t like it, that’s okay. Then, at the first preview, the audience was so vocal and generous.” The six-week run sold out as critics praised Ferran’s revelatory performance.

“After that first show, we all just stood there on stage, wide-eyed, thinking, Oh my God, they love this!” she says. “Acting is strange because you’re part of the art—you’re telling a story together, but it’s also deeply personal. When something doesn’t work, it’s hard not to take it to heart. Your face, body, mind—everything is part of the story.”

Streetcar is intense on its own, but performing it in high-energy New York made those six weeks some of the most exhilarating of her life. “Luckily, my body cooperates when I have a job to do—and with writing this good and such talented, generous co-stars, it’s easier… even fun,” she says. “But afterward? I couldn’t have done another show. I needed to lie down and not move for a while.”Before taking on the role of Blanche, Patsy Ferran starred in Rebecca Frecknall’s revival of Tennessee Williams’ lesser-known play Summer and Smoke. To prepare, she even traveled to Mississippi—a commitment that earned her an Olivier Award. But when the actress originally cast as Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire got injured, Ferran stepped into the role with just four days of rehearsal after the play opened in London—even canceling her honeymoon to do it.

“I barely had time to learn my blocking and say the lines in the right order,” she admits. “Looking back, I think if I’d had months to prepare, I might have overthought it and played Blanche in a more traditionally feminine, polished way—closer to how we usually see her.”

Still, embodying Blanche’s tense, anxious energy took a toll. “It triggered my own anxiety,” Ferran says. “I had a mental health crisis before the New York run. When I returned to the role, it felt even more personal. You can leave a play, but sometimes the play doesn’t leave you.”

As demanding as the role was, she’s drawn to characters who hide “quiet pain.” “That vulnerability fascinates me—Tennessee Williams writes it so well.” But playing Jane Austen offered a different kind of joy: “Her sharp wit was liberating. I’m usually slow with words, so stepping into someone who always knows what to say and how she feels was freeing.”

Though Ferran is an avid reader, she only fully appreciated Austen’s novels—with their sharp social observations and rich characters—as an adult. “As a teen, Pride and Prejudice went over my head,” she admits, preferring the Brontë sisters at the time. But revisiting Austen for her role, she fell in love. “Persuasion was wonderful, and Sense and Sensibility is so clever. The tension, the longing, the way she dissects society—it’s timeless. Now in my 30s, it really moves me. Austen’s women often put others first, and that sense of duty is something many women understand. I brought that wholeheartedly into this role.”

Ferran auditioned for Miss Austen while starring in Pygmalion at the Old Vic. “I didn’t realize how much I needed this part until it came along,” she says. She loved the costumes—”I’m not big on makeup; I usually look exhausted. But it was nice to show up to work with glowing skin and those high-waisted dresses. I could eat whatever I wanted in those column gowns!”—and the supportive, all-female production team. “It felt like a sisterhood, on and off set.”

Next up, Ferran has several projects lined up: Later the War, an adaptation from Iddo Gefen’s Jerusalem Beach, directed by Charlie Kaufman, where she’ll star alongside Eddie Redmayne and Tessa Thompson, plus another secret film. “I still can’t believe I get to do this,” she says. “Theater is my home, and while I’ve done TV for years, it’s always felt low-stakes. This is different.”

For now, during a brief break, she’s catching up on books, films, and theater. “I came back from New York with 22 books in my suitcase,” she laughs. Her reading list includes Martyr by Kaveh Akbar and Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel. She’s also eager to see Mark Rosenblatt’s Giant (starring John Lithgow as Roald Dahl), David Adjmi’s record-breaking Stereophonic, and Sondheim’s final musical, Here We Are. Onscreen, she’s excited for Thunderbolts—”It’s full of actors I love, and I prefer Marvel’s more subversive films”—and Sin (though she doesn’t elaborate).Yet her own career is especially exciting right now. “It’s uncharted territory,” she says. “I’m riding this wave and hoping it continues, working with incredible directors who trust me to take on bigger roles in my next two projects. It’s thrilling but nerve-wracking! Everything feels fresh, which is great after ten years in the business. Even though I usually love routine, I’m constantly embracing new challenges. I’m really enjoying this chapter of my life.”

Miss Austen is now streaming on Masterpiece PBS.