 Root came to realise that while the novel 's narrative style allowed Anne 's thoughts to come through , the film adaptation offered comparatively little dialogue . As a result , she " had to cover pages and pages of the story without uttering anything , much of the time . I couldn 't even think about technique , I just had to keep looking at the [ novel ] and then somehow radiate the feelings " . Persuasion was shot in chronological order , which allowed Root to see " what a difference [ her character 's ] sense of unhappiness can create " , as by the end of the film Anne is " happier and looks better " . Root considered the role to be much quieter than her experiences working with the Royal Shakespeare Company , which included her portrayal of Lady Macbeth . The Irish actor Ciarán Hinds , who depicted Frederick Wentworth , commented that Austen " understands a man 's heart and how delicate it can be sometimes " . He also appreciated that , though Wentworth was a " competent leader of men in his profession " , he was " socially inept " in Anne 's presence . Susan Fleetwood , the actress who played Lady Russell , had also worked with Michell on The Buddha of Suburbia . She died soon after filming ; Persuasion was her last film role . 
