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Edith
Edith Pretty
’Edith’ played by Carey Mulligan
- Age Lift: Edith Pretty was 54 when the events in the film started, but is played by then-36-year-old Carey Mulligan, with very little effort to make her look like she's in her mid-50s.
- Delicate and Sickly: She's a delicate woman suffering from terminal heart disease.
- English Rose: Edith is a good-looking English woman with fair skin and fair hair of spirited disposition but she finds herself afflicted with an illness.
- Illness Blanket: She has a blanket after she's come back from getting her diagnosis.
Basil
Basil Brown
’Basil’ played by Ralph Fiennes
- The Cynic: Downplayed. He has a low opinion of toffs and academics who put him down for his lack of education and humble origins, but otherwise he's kindly and enthusiastic about his favourite subjects, if a bit gruff.
- I Am Very British: Averted. Basil is one of the smartest and best-informed people in the story, but he has a thick Suffolk accent.
- Uncertified Expert: Basil himself observes that you could give him a piece of soil from anywhere in Suffolk and he could tell you where it's from, but his lack of professional credentials makes him seem to Phillips like nothing more than a glorified handyman.
Peggy
Margaret ‘Peggy’ Piggott
’Penny’ played by Lily James
- Bespectacled Cutie: She's a cute young woman who wears glasses that add much charm to her look.
Rory
Stuart
Stuart Piggott
’Stuart’ played by Ben Chaplin
- Closet Gay: He's strongly implied to be this, seeming more interested in the company of his fellow male archaeologists than in his own gorgeous wife. When she takes off her robe in front of him, he's actually embarrassed.note
- Historical Ugliness Update: Stuart in the film isn't exactly ugly, but the historical Stuart Piggott was quite the looker.
Charles
Charles Phillips
’Charles’ played by Ken Stott
- Fat Bastard: Downplayed. He's not actually evil, just a terrible snob who's full of himself. Edith pretty quickly puts him in his place about this.
Robert
