Director Joe Wright reflects on Pride & Prejudice, his first feature film directorial debut ahead of its 20th Anniversary Theater Re-Release!

‘Pride & Prejudice' 20th Anniversary: Director Looks Back on the Film's "Intentional" Fashion Moments

Pride & Prejudice, the 2005 classic starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfayden, followed Elizabeth Bennet (Knightley) and Mr. Darcy (Macfayden) as they worked through their pride and prejudice towards each other while simultaneously developing a true love connection.

Leaving the audience with angst, humor-filled moments and period piece fashion that has now become mainstream in the Bridgerton era, director Joe Wright shares with The Hollywood Reporter how he interwove the story's themes into the movie adaptation.

"We were trying to give an authenticity to the costumes, a sense of how lived-in they were," he says.

Can you break down the famous hand flex carriage scene from both Darcy's and Elizabeth's perspectives?

The hand scene was really a kind of articulation for me of this idea that sometimes our bodies know best. That our minds might be a little slow to catch up, and that both Darcy and Elizabeth's bodies, their hands, their whole nervous system, is aware of the importance of that person in their lives and in their futures. She certainly isn't, but he has a growing awareness at this point. And when he flexes his hand as he walks away, it's a kind of almost a shaking off of that feeling of that reality.

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the film, when you look back, are there any deleted scenes or alternative ending scenes from the book that you wished you would've included?

The original film has actually two endings: One version that was for America and one version that was for everyone else…I didn't have final cut on the movie at the time, and after much debate, it was a kind of compromise solution. The American version had a final scene of Darcy and Elizabeth on their wedding night, speaking posies to each other, and I felt it was a little too sweet and sentimental. I much preferred the ending that ended on Mr. Bennett and his joy at his daughter's betrothal. So there are two endings out there.

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Director Joe Wright Says “Pride & Prejudice” Hand Flex Scene Wasn’t Scripted: ‘I Didn’t Think We Got It’ (Exclusive)

Mr. Darcy’s hand flex in 'Pride & Prejudice' almost didn’t happen

The internet’s favorite scene from Pride & Prejudice almost didn’t happen

Director Joe Wright admits exclusively to PEOPLE that Mr. Darcy's hand flex scene in his 2005 classic, Pride & Prejudice, wasn't scripted — it was the idea of actor Matthew Macfadyen.

"It wasn't in the script, but that was an important moment in the book," Wright, 52, shares. "This sudden realization, as they were parting, of what they meant to each other or the kind of disturbance they caused in each other."

The moment in the movie appears when Macfadyen's Mr. Darcy reaches out his hand to aid Keira Knightley's Elizabeth Bennet into the carriage. Once their hands disconnect, the camera catches Mr. Darcy stretching out his hand. Wright emphasizes that this is an important moment for their relationship and wanted the scene to "convey the intelligence of our bodies really over our minds."

"Our bodies are so much smarter than our minds often. Although their conscious minds are fighting against each other, their bodies are two magnets drawn to each other," Wright recalls. "As they touch, even that little hand lifting helping her, which is pure etiquette of the period, somehow creates this kind of electronic shock wave through them both, and he has to shake it away."

The 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice was released in November of that year and is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and will be re-released in US theaters on April 20 to celebrate. Knightley, 40, received an Oscar nomination for her performance.

The cast also included Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, Judi Dench, Carey Mulligan, Talulah Riley, Rupert Friend, Brenda Blethyn and the late Donald Sutherland. The film grossed more than $120 million worldwide and has become a favorite for romance lovers everywhere, many of whom claim the hand flex scene as the ultimate show of romance.

Wright initially didn't think the scene adequately portrayed the relationship and attraction between the two main love interests.

"It had been a gloomy day when we shot it," Wright shares. "I felt like I hadn't conveyed what I wanted to, and it's odd and gratifying to find that we told our story, and people have responded. Because on the day, I thought, 'Oh no, we didn't get it. It was rubbish. It didn't work.' Now, people are still posting it. It's odd and really nice."