The Deleted Scene From The Haunting Of Bly Manor That Had The Actors Sobbing
Netflix's The Haunting of Bly Manor, about an American governess who comes to watch over two orphaned children in the English countryside, may be a spooky tale of ghosts and horror, but it's got a grand love story at its center. Dani (Victoria Pedretti), the governess, has quite a bit of trauma from a past relationship, but she learns to move on with the help of Bly Manor's gardener, Jamie (Amelia Eve).
The relationship between Dani and Jamie is the heart of The Haunting of Bly Manor, the bright spot in an otherwise dark and dreary story. Of course, their romance isn't all sunshine and roses, as they are haunted by the imposing influence of the Lady of the Lake, whose curse affects all at Bly Manor. Acting out a romance between their two characters, it's no surprise that Pedretti and Eve became close throughout the process. In an interview with Elle, Eve revealed that the experience of filming one scene — which, sadly, didn't make the final cut of the show — led to both women sobbing with emotion.
In the deleted scene, Jamie convinces Dani to stay after almost killing her
The deleted scene in question would have occurred in episode 9, the last episode of the season, called "The Beast in the Jungle." Everything's come to a head, with Peter (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) trying to possess Miles (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) forever and the Lady of the Lake presenting a very present threat for Dani, the kids, and everyone who works at Bly Manor. Accepting a huge sacrifice, Dani saves them all by becoming one with the Lady of the Lake, previously known as Viola, while dooming herself to a future in which she will always feel Viola's influence looming over her.
The cut scene takes place long after the events at Bly Manor, when Dani and Jamie are living together in romantic bliss. The peace is broken when Dani starts feeling Viola creeping to the forefront of her mind and begins to lose her own identity. Jamie understands the true threat this represents, but she is determined to stay with her love until the end. The night before Dani leaves to sacrifice herself, she wakes up on top of Jamie, having almost strangled her under Viola's control. In a scene that would've occurred right after this moment, the actors filmed a version in which, according to Eve,"Jamie woke up, and she sees Dani leaving, and she gets her to stay." You can certainly imagine how emotional this cut scene must've been to shoot.
The deep emotions of the scene had Amelia Eve and Victoria Pedretti in tears
Eve told Elle about the deleted scene and how much it affected her and Pedretti, saying, "Victoria and I held one another in the scene, but even once they had shouted 'cut,' we were still holding onto each other." Eve's Jamie is fighting for the love of her life to stay with her, trying to convince Dani not to sacrifice her life to save her from future dangers. It's an emotional situation, but the experience went beyond the relationship between the actors' two characters. Eve elaborated on the personal connection to the scene, saying, "There was just this beautiful feeling of catharsis for the both of us. That really stayed with me."
Sadly, the scene in question did not end up in the final product, but Eve hopes it will be released one day, and fans likely hope the same. The stories of the Wingrave family and all their friends may be finished, but their effect on audiences — and the cast — is clearly lasting. With such a beautiful, modern love story at the base of the show, Bly Manor is a memorable tale of overcoming trauma and grief, one fans can thankfully watch over and over again.