Matthew Goode Added to the Cast of The Crown for Season Two

PASTE
By Pete Mercer  |  February 9, 2017  |  2:33pm
Photos via Mark Davis/Getty, Tim P. Whitby/Getty

The Crown has been one of more popular original Netflix series, fueling our fascination with British culture even further. Considering it’s such a binge-worthy series, fans are eagerly awaiting season two. It’s sliding into the ‘60s, so there’ll be loads of cultural and societal changes that The Crown will take on. Today, Netflix has announced new cast members for the forthcoming season, and it’s pretty exciting news for the future of the series.

Michael C. Hall and Matthew Goode have been added as regular cast members to season two. Hall will be playing John F. Kennedy, most likely during his presidential term, and will potentially deal with the global ramifications of his assassination in 1963. According to Peter Morgan, creator of The Crown, the second season will end in 1964. Goode will play Lord Snowdon, a British politician and photographer married to Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth’s younger sister. Goode is no stranger to British royalty drama, as he was recently featured in Downton Abbey, so we’ve got some good British drama coming.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/02/michael-c-hall-and-matthew-goode-added-to-the-cast.html

Matthew Goode, Matthew Rhys: The Wine Show: it's Top Gear for booze … I hate myself for loving it

THE GUARDIAN
Stuart Heritage
11 April, 2016

When ITV ran its first trailer for The Wine Show about a month ago, you could be forgiven for thinking the whole thing was a joke. An obscene joke about two highly acclaimed actors – a wildly-bearded Matthew Rhys and an unstoppably plummy Matthew Goode – who’d exploited their star power to get smashed on plonk inside a beautiful Umbrian villa, while getting paid for it.

The trailer was startlingly awful in every conceivable way. The narration was awkward and stilted in a manner that suggested it had been translated into English and back again several times. The photography looked as if it had been shot for a CNN Europe commercial about the economic benefits of utilising Montenegro as a regional trade hub. And in the middle of it were the two Matthews, obsequiously yucking it up like a grotesque Fluck and Law parody of the coddled one-percent. It was like watching a piece of deranged Alan Partridge fan fiction come to life. It must have been a joke. Surely it was a joke. I watched the trailer over and over again, looking for the slightest wink to prove that this was all somehow an elaborate joke. The title? Was that it? Was The Wine Show supposed to be a deliberately awful pun on The One Show? Was that the joke

The Wine Show began on ITV4 last night. I watched it specifically to hate it. The fact that I couldn’t has made me almost irreversibly furious.

Because, god help the lot of us, The Wine Show is actually quite good. It is, in essence, somewhere between a Countryfile and a Top Gear for booze. Given time to breathe, the photography that came off as cheesy in the trailer is actually rather beautiful. The production values are astonishing. It’s dappled, woozy, HD travel porn that lingers on beads of early-morning vineyard dew and charmingly tumbledown magic-hour Italian villages in a way that immediately makes you want to chuck some shirts in a bag and head for the airport.

And the actual content is surprisingly grown up, too. Despite the trailer strongly suggesting that the series would consist of nothing but Rhys and Goode slowly contracting gout, the bulk of the presenting is left to wine expert Joe Fattorini. He’s a revelation, arguably the Attenborough of Oddbins. Simultaneously knowledgable and awestruck, Fattorini managed to turn the climax to a throwaway 10-minute segment about Napoleon’s favourite booze into a genuinely compelling piece of television. “This wine probably cheered someone up when Mozart died”, he quavered at one point, and it didn’t even sound a tenth as stupid as it looks written down.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/apr/11/the-wine-show-its-top-gear-for-booze-i-hate-myself-for-loving-it

Downton Abbey season 6: Tom Branson returns in new pictures from set

SUNDAY EXPRESS
By NEELA DEBNATH
PUBLISHED: 12:55, Thu, Jun 18, 2015 | UPDATED: 14:34, Thu, Jun 18, 2015



Tom, who is the husband of the late Lady Sybil, was headed to America with their daughter when we last saw him in the Downton Christmas special but it seems that he is back for one last hurrah.

Irish actor Allen, 34, was spotted on filming on set in scenes featuring what appears to be a motor race, suggesting Tom could have a hand in helping out with the cars thanks to his mechanical skills.

Filming took place at the Brooklands Museum Near Weybridge, Surrey which was the former site of the Brooklands racing circuit and aerodrome.

There were plenty of extras dressed in 1920s costumes, suggesting that the series will still be set in the same era rather than doing any jumps forward in time as it has previously between series.

Actors Matthew Goode, who plays Henry Talbot, and Tom Cullen, who stars as Lord Gillingham, were also spotted filming scenes, hinting that the pair could be racing in a bid to win Lady Mary's (Michelle Dockery) affections.

Only last week the "downstairs" cast reunited to film scenes in Oxfordshire that saw the characters playing cricket together on their say off from looking after the Abbey.

It was announced that the series will be receiving a special Bafta honour later this year for its outstanding global success and flying the flag for British drama around the globe.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/585340/Downton-Abbey-season-6-Tom-Branson-Allen-Leech-Lady-Mary

What Can Matthew Goode Bring to Downton Abbey Season 6?

MOVIE PILOT
by Peter Flynn ⋅ Posted on May 6th, 2015 at 6:46am



Matthew Goode is now in Downton Abbey! I can't stress enough what great casting that is! Of all the choices of well-mannered slightly adorable classy men, he fits the show perfectly. Tom Hiddlesdon? Too widely loved. Ben Wishaw? Too tasteful (dude was Paddington, y'know!) But Matthew Goode? He's the perfect culmination of tacky class. He's like a well-refined savant Ken Doll, and I would love him to return for Downton Abbey Season 6.

If his other main project, The Good Wife permits, we may well see more of Matthew Goode in Season 6. What might Downton Abbey gain from this precious porcelain man returning to our screens?

He Has Chemistry With Lady Mary!

Lady Mary's exploits, and the men those exploits rope in are where the sexy elements of Downton Abbey emerge (as sexy as you can expect Downton to be). Matthew Goode's Henry Talbot made his first appearance in the 2014 christmas special. While I'd misunderstood a joke sketch and was thoroughly fed up with the lack of George Clooney on my screen, Matthew Goode suddenly pops up and starts shooting grouse, and I'm in a stupor of wonderment for the rest of the episode.

I can speak for the fans when I say that everyone wanted Henry and Mary's snappy back and forth to be taken further. Their wry chemistry was palpable, and can be taken places, which the show seems to know! Why else would they explicitly address Henry Talbot's perchance for racing cars? It's kinda weird that Mary is totally into this, since it was a car crash that literally killed her ex-husband, Dan Stevens! I'm just not sure why she would be getting all hot and bothered for fast, dangerous machines.

He Can be Sinister

Matthew Goode is a funny actor. Just put him in stuff, and I will laugh at it, like a gnome being photographed going round the world. That said, he has more depth than just being a funny action-figure man, and has shades of lurid ominousness that make him a joy to watch. He could certainly adapt to some of the dark DARK places Downton Abbey is willing to go. Goode's range could tonally do some interesting things to Season 6.

If you want proof of Goode's ability to play the unsettling villain, look no further than Park Chan-Wook's masterful Stoker. His performance as Uncle Charlie is a truly terrifying delight, and if Henry Talbot were to descend into some sort of villainous figure in Season 6, Goode could manage it spectacularly.

READ MORE HERE: http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/05/06/what-can-matthew-goode-bring-to-downton-abbey-season-6-2909516?lt_source=external,manual

"Fantastic" Keira Knightley: "Like Having a Sister on Set"

E!
by MARC MALKIN Today 6:15 AM PDT



Not that we ever doubted how amazingly awesome Keira Knightley is to work with, but it's still nice to hear her co-stars gushing over the Oscar nominee.

"She's so down to earth and level headed and works astonishingly hard and keeps it light and easy breezy on the set," Matthew Goode says in an interview included on the upcoming DVD and Blu-ray editions of the The Imitation Game. "[She] has a really good sense of humor. It's like having a sister on set, which is fantastic."

And Knightley had no problem being the lone female star of the movie. "She knew exactly how to control the group of lads…and get over that lads mentality," Allen Leech said.

Fellow Imitation Game Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch believes the film is the "best work she's ever done.

"She's just brilliant, really brilliant," he said.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.eonline.com/news/635193/fantastic-keira-knightley-like-having-a-sister-on-set

(SPOILER ALERT) ‘Downton Abbey’ Recap: In the Finale, Mary Meets Mr. Handsome, With a Who Could-Care-Less Attitude (SPOILER ALERT)

NEW YORK TIMES
By LOUIS BAYARD  MARCH 1, 2015 10:37 PM


Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary with  one of the twin Barkers portraying Lady Mary's son, Master George Crawley.Credit Nick Briggs/Carnival Films for Masterpiece

Season 5, Episode 9

Oh, Abbots. It can’t be over, can it? Another season, gone as quickly as a grouse flying over Brancaster Castle.

So let us keep sorrow at bay by reminding ourselves: We’ve finally pulled abreast. Oh, sure, those viewers in Britain got their usual three-month head start on us (just as the Brits used to get first crack at the latest Dickens installment). Viewers in the United States who were too impatient to wait for the weekly drip of revelation snapped up their DVDs and sometimes blurted out key plot developments over a few too many Manhattans. They had us in their spoiler-alert grip, Abbots, but no longer. Democracy reigns.

So now that we’re all on the same plane of knowledge, what can we say for sure about this fast-receding season? (For Baron Fellowes’ thoughts, read this.)

Longstanding relationships (the Bateses, Robert and Cora) were tested and left standing. Longstanding plot lines were either resolved (Edith’s daughter) or abruptly discarded (Mary Crowley’s sort-of-not-really love triangle). Characters like Violet, the dowager countess, were enlarged with new layers and backstories; others showed clear signs of outliving their narrative usefulness. From all indications, we have seen the last of:



1) Mary’s dim suitor Tony Gillingham (Tom Cullen), who gets a fine consolation prize in Mabel Lane Fox (Catherine Steadman).

2) Boston-bound Tom Branson (Allen Leech), who has taken longer to quit the scene than Cher.

3) Rose (Lily James) and Atticus (Matt Barber), who are heading off to New York. (Synchronously, Ms. James has veered off toward “Cinderella,” a part she seems genetically modified for.)

One way or another, the Downton family is fragmenting. Just like the Downton estate (headed for subdivision) and the Downton ethos, a victim to those winds of sociopolitical change that Carson (Jim Carter) keeps mumbling on about. As servants like Daisy (Sophie McShera) begin to imagine better lives, as Socialists like Sarah Bunting make scenes in fine dining rooms, as Edwardian ideals give way to harsh postwar realities (excellent historical timeline here), look for the Crawleys and their retinues to feel and fight their own anachronism.

We know they’ll lose, but what’s a historical drama without gallant fools engaged in rear-guard actions? So carry on, you lovely, maddening elitists, along with your lovely, maddening retinues. We’ll be griping and grumbling, and we’ll be watching.

In the meantime, may I suggest just one incremental reform? On the evidence of Episode 9, you need better legal counsel.

I’m sure the Earl of Grantham’s lawyer, George Murray (Jonathan Coy), has a few gray cells poking around in there, but several years after botching the defense of Bates (Brendan Coyle), he seems bound and determined to do the same with Mrs. Bates (Joanne Froggatt), even going so far as to declare the police case against her airtight when — as we all know, Abbots — it has more holes than, well, a grouse flying over Brancaster Castle.

Turns out that, when Anna was a teenager, she cut her stepfather-molester with a knife, and while she was never charged, that mysteriously reconstructed incident has created some kind of — oh, I don’t know, “pattern” of violence that will sweep Anna straight to the gallows, and in the name of Perry Mason, can’t some fine lawyerly mind sweep this whole business to sea? Instead, it falls to Bates (Mr. Coyle) to confess to Mr. Green’s murder and then vamoose to Ireland.

Now if Sarah Bunting were still around, I would point out to her that, even without benefit of a welfare state, no one enjoys better job security than the Bateses. It doesn’t matter how much leave they take or how many heinous crimes they’re accused of, their jobs are always kept open, their home fires are kept burning, and free (if incompetent) legal care abounds. Sweden could do no better.

At any rate, Anna is sprung on bail, and Murray declares, “We’re going forward and not backward,” but to me, it feels like we’re on the same leaking story pontoon, which only stays afloat because Baron Fellowes’ legs are kicking as madly as they can. By episode’s end, even he must be a little fatigued because a York publican turns up to give Bates an alibi, and the witness who ID’d Anna sprouts “doubts,” and lo and behold, it’s Christmas, and who should pop out of the mistletoe, as it were, but Bates?

Love emerges when you least expect it, Abbots. Sometimes all it takes (and this will give aid and comfort to Freudians everywhere) is for a lot of men to pull out their big guns. The Sinderbys have rented Brancaster for a weeklong shooting party, and no one is immune. Even Edith (Laura Carmichael) loses a bit of her Mildred Pierce-y daughter fixation and dances a few rounds with agreeable castle agent Bertie Pelham (Harry Hadden-Paton). We wish them both well. (And by the way, Edith needs to let that hair flow. With her locks down to her shoulders, she goes from librarian to licentious.)

But no one is more moved by the sight of men and their gauges than Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery), who finds herself unaccountably aroused by the marksmanship of a handsome stranger named Henry Talbot. Now I don’t mean to crow, but as soon as I heard Matthew Goode was signed up for the final episode, I immediately discerned that his plot function would be roughly the same as it was in “The Good Wife”: to melt the froideur of a stern, ashen, erotically complicated brunette. Sure enough, he shows up on the Northumberland moors without even an establishing close-up but with enough swagger to remind us that Mary needs a chap who looks as good as Tony G but treats her as roughly as Inspector Vyner. “Heavens,” exclaims Mary, watching Talbot climb into his car. “What a snappy chariot.” Now I would’ve thought she’d be a little skittish of automobiles, given how her late husband met his end, but she seems to be all over Henry T and his Bentley.

Amazing to think, Abbots, that after two seasons of arid flirtation and Liverpool lovefests, Our Miss Flint has found someone to spark off. And the secret to his allure? He doesn’t give a damn if she likes him or not. Look for Talbot to stick around.

READ THE ENTIRE RECAP HERE: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/downton-abbey-recap-in-the-finale-mary-meets-mr-handsome-who-could-care-less/?_r=0

Matthew Goode Hits It Big With ‘Good Wife,’ ‘Downton Abbey’ Roles

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By KARA MAYER ROBINSON
Feb. 26, 2015 6:17 p.m. ET


Matthew Goode at Freemans, a restaurant on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. PHOTO: CLAUDIO PAPAPIETRO FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

In less than a year, British actor Matthew Goode joined the cast of a critically acclaimed TV drama (“The Good Wife”), appeared in an Oscar-nominated film (“The Imitation Game”) and secured a role in another, equally successful series (“Downton Abbey”).

“It’s been a really good year. There’s no question about that,” said the 36-year-old actor who grew up in England, studied at London’s Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts, then performed mainly in theater (“The Tempest”) and film (“Match Point,” “A Single Man”).

Mr. Goode was offered the “Good Wife” role of prosecutor Finn Polmar last winter, just as producers Michelle and Robert King were secretly plotting the exit of one of its lead characters, Will Gardner, played by Josh Charles. He quickly accepted, temporarily moving his family—Sophie, his wife, and daughters Matilda, 5, and Teddy, 1—to New York.

It has been a good run, but Mr. Goode is eager to return to England.

He will pack up his family in April, in time to film the next season of “Downton,” shoot a show about wine with friend and fellow actor Matthew Rhys and prepare for a new arrival. His son is due in August.



WSJ: Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch, you...Is there some sort of British actor boom going on?

There’s so much work over here. I think the Americans are much more open-minded than British audiences. But you’ve still got to pull it off. America isn’t just a couple of accents; it’s a vast country with a myriad of different accents and classes. You’ve got to get it right.

WSJ: Was it difficult to step into “The Good Wife” midseason, just as Josh Charles’s character was being killed off?

I never felt like I was stepping into his role. When I discussed it with Robert and Michelle, I said, “I think it would be a mistake to throw me in as this immediate replacement love interest. I think the audience needs to mourn and I don’t think it’s that interesting.”

So far, I like Finn. A lot of the characters are quite arch. You think you know them and suddenly they’ll do something that’s actually quite immoral. It hasn’t happened to Finn yet.

WSJ: How did you acquire your American accent?

I found a bloke on the Internet…this lawyer. He was talking to the press for a good five minutes. I didn’t memorize it, but I watched him. I could just learn his rhythms and what he said.

WSJ: Will you return next season?

I don’t know yet. We haven’t had the discussion. I might, but I’m all about the family, really. You can’t keep uprooting your children all the time.

WSJ: How did your “Downton Abbey” role come about?

I knew a few people in the cast already, like Allen [Leech] from “The Imitation Game.” I met Michelle [Dockery] a long time ago. We had a really good laugh and ended up dancing the night away. It’d been on the cards and suddenly it came to fruition.

I don’t know how long I’m going to be doing it, but the game is afoot. My character’s a guy called Henry Talbot. That’s all we know so far.



WSJ: “The Imitation Game” has caused quite a stir. What are your thoughts about it?

The story of Alan Turing is fascinating. We see that he thinks differently, we see that he has an incredible mind. Ultimately, he wins the Second World War. And for his efforts, because he likes to make love with men…?

Because Alan Turing achieved this incredible thing, he’s been pardoned by the queen. What about pardoning the other 49,000 men who you condemned for just being gay? There’s a petition you can sign. They wanted to get 49,000 signatures and I think it’s on its way to 100,000.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.wsj.com/articles/british-actor-matthew-goode-hits-it-big-with-good-wife-downton-abbey-roles-1424992619

James McAvoy: Dominance of Rich-Kid Actors in the U.K. Is "Damaging for Society"

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
by Abid Rahman 2/10/2015 12:18am PST

James McAvoy has waded into the ongoing debate in the U.K. on the current success and dominance of privately educated actors, telling the Herald of Scotland that if the current trend continues it would be "damaging for society."

The Scottish actor, who paid his way through drama school by working in a bakery, was at pains not to criticize the success of privately educated actors, but he was worried that it wasn't representative of Britain as it is today.

"Whenever we talk about this, we have to be very very clear. There's a lot of posh actors that have been to boarding school and all that who are feeling very embattled, sort of cornered," he said, adding: "[N]obody has got anything against an actor who is posh and is doing really well."

But McAvoy was concerned that people from all walks of life are not getting the same opportunities to work in the arts, and his chief worry was about how this will become a bigger problem five or ten years from now. 

If the trends are allowed to continue, McAvoy said, "That's a frightening world to live in, because as soon as you get one tiny pocket of society creating all the arts, or culture starts to become representative not of everybody but of one tiny part, and that's not fair to begin with, but it's also damaging for society."

Private schools such as Eton and Harrow are some of the oldest and most elite in the U.K. They often produce future leaders and captains of industry, but in recent years they have begun to churn out stellar acting talent. 

The Eton-educated Eddie Redmayne (a classmate of Prince William) and Harrow-educated Benedict Cumberbatch, who are both in the running for the best actor Oscar, are perhaps the most telling examples of the dominance of "posh" actors. But there's also Dominic West (Eton, classmate of Prime Minister David Cameron), Damian Lewis (Eton), Tom Hiddleston (Eton), Henry Cavil (Stowe), Jamie Campbell Bower (Bedales), Tom Hardy (Reed), Matthew Goode (Exeter) and Dan Stevens (Tonbridge), among others.

And it's not just the guys. A whole generation of British actresses are seemingly disproportionately from so-called posh schools, including Rosamund Pike (Badminton), Alice Eve (Bedales), Juno Temple (Bedales), Carey Mulligan (Woldingham), Kate Beckinsale (Godolphin and Latymer), Imogen Poots (Latymer), Emilia Clarke (St Edward's), Emily Blunt (Hurtwood House) and Rebecca Hall (Roedean).

READ MORE HERE: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/james-mcavoy-dominance-rich-kid-772139

‘Downton Abbey’ NEWS: U.S. Premiere Of Season 5 Brings 10.1 Million Viewers To PBS, Laura Carmichael DISHES On Portraying Lady Edith [SPOILERS]

FASHION AND STYLE

As Americans eagerly try to catch up with the fifth season of "Downton Abbey," new speculation for Season Six centers around whether or not Allen Leech will return next year. Plus, Laura Carmichael discusses what it is like to play Lady Edith Crawley as well.

According to Carter Matt, there's a lot of speculation over whether or not actor Allen Leech will return for "Downton Abbey's" Season Six.

While many fans will miss Tom Branson if is truly gone for good, others have also pointed out that if he changes his mind and decides to stay put, then his arc would have been one big waste of time for the fans.

Aside from whether or not Leech will return, fans have also wondered if Matthew Goode's character Henry Talbot will return in Season Six in order to woo Lady Mary.

Given the fact that she is finally moving on from both Tony Gillingham and Charles Blake, it would be nice if Goode joined the cast in order to add a new twist in Lady Mary's tangled love life, adds Radio Times.

Meanwhile, even though U.K. fans of "Downton Abbey" were disappointed with the past season, American fans gathered in force for the U.S. premiere.

TV By The Numbers writes that 10.1 million American fans sat down to watch the Season Five premiere on Sunday, which made PBS the second most-watched channel that night.



Even better, many of the viewers also stuck around for the one-hour documentary "The Manners Of Downton," which aired right after the premiere and explored the fascinating world of English etiquette.

Hosted by "Downton Abbey's" historical advisor Alastair Bruce, fans were able to get a glimpse of the rigorous training that the cast had to go through in order to accurately portray the British nobility on the show.

Finally, the Wall Street Journal sat down with Laura Carmichael, who discussed what it is like to play Lady Edith Crawley.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.fashionnstyle.com/articles/39521/20150107/downton-abbey-news-allen-leech-return-season-6-us-premiere-season-5-brings-10-1-million-viewers-pbs-laura-carmichael-dishes-portraying-lady-edith-spoilers.htm

Matthew Goode: A Goode addition to 'The Good Wife'

By SARAH LYALL , NEW YORK TIMES
January 05, 2015 - 3:17 PM



Lovers of “The Good Wife” found the death last spring of Will Gardner, everyone’s favorite sexily arrogant lawyer, shocking and traumatic. But even as they adjusted to the cold new reality (Will was never coming back), they were struck by a frisson of something that felt, inappropriately, like delight.

It arrived in the form of Finn Polmar, a sweet and morally upright prosecutor whose entrance just as Will was exiting provided solace to the audience and the grieving characters in the show. If this sudden attraction seemed disloyal — Will is dead; long live Someone Other Than Will — then so be it.

What does Finn, aka British actor Matthew Goode, make of all this?

“You can’t replace Will — you can’t replace a character who’s that influential and that loved,” Goode said. “But what they have tried to do with Finn was make him be one of the few people so far on the series who doesn’t have hidden agendas, who is sort of morally unambiguous.”

Goode, 36, let a wicked smile cross his face. “Although you might find out he’s a coke dealer in a couple of weeks,” he said. “Things can flip quite quickly on this show.”

‘Spectacular sense of humor’

Things can also flip quite quickly in Goode’s life. Long one of those slightly under the radar actors who log one impeccable performance after another, Goode suddenly is showing up all over the place.

Perhaps best known in America for his turn as Colin Firth’s longtime boyfriend in Tom Ford’s “A Single Man,” Goode in the past few years has played (briefly but memorably) a dashing 18th-century naval captain in “Belle,” the caddish Wickham in the BBC adaptation of P.D. James’ “Death Comes to Pemberley” and a charming yet psychopathic uncle in the thriller “Stoker.”

Most recently, he has injected a little sex appeal into “The Imitation Game,” playing a brilliant and flirtatious code breaker, a welcome foil to Benedict Cumberbatch’s aggressively unflirtatious Alan Turing.

But it is in “The Good Wife” — where he enjoys smoldering, get-a-room chemistry with the title character, Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) — that Goode truly has made his mark. Now into its sixth season, the series remains a favorite of audiences and critics, even though Alicia is not behaving with particular goodness (or wifeliness) these days.

Charles’ decision to leave last season deprived the show of one of its most enticing plot lines, Will and Alicia’s steamily tortured on-again-off-again relationship. In looking for a replacement, show runners Michelle and Robert King sought to introduce a character of a different sort, someone who was cerebral and slyly disarming, in contrast to Will’s street-smart scrappiness.

“We wanted someone who was witty in court, who didn’t hit you with brass knuckles but when you weren’t looking might devastate you with his wit,” Robert King said.

They had seen Goode in various productions, including the pilot of the short-lived Ridley Scott miniseries “The Vatican.” They hired him without even meeting.

“He had this spectacular sense of humor on the phone, and that’s what Julianna is into — she likes having a good time with someone who is funny,” King said. “You want someone who is not too unctuous in his acting, who can take a U-turn from drama to comedy in a moment.”



Claret, veggies and marriage

Goode in person was not unctuous at all and had the added bonus of speaking in his real English-accented voice. He had all but disguised himself under a pair of large dark-framed eyeglasses and a floppy wool cap. He had just taken a shower and felt unhappy about his hair. “I’m not a blow-dry kind of guy,” he said.

Neither is he the kind of guy eager to discuss his career, necessarily. Instead he cheerfully digressed on various subjects: the asparagus, potatoes and other produce he helped cultivate as a child at his father’s garden; the oeuvre of Aaron Sorkin; a bottle of claret he bought on eBay; his success in quitting smoking and switching to e-cigarettes; the television program about wine he has signed up to film in France with his friend Matthew Rhys (the star of “The Americans” with whom he drank the claret); the joys of the Golf Channel, and the winsomeness of his wife, Sophie Dymoke, and two young daughters, Matilda and Teddie.


READ MORE HERE:http://m.startribune.com/entertainment/tv/287555411.html?section=/entertainment

Downton Abbey Christmas special recap – it worked as retro festive wallpaper (SPOILERS)

THE GUARDIAN
Viv Groskop
Thursday 25 December 2014 18.00 EST



The labrador’s backside is back for Christmas. And let’s hope it’s not just for Christmas, eh? Actually, my Christmas wish would be that it is just for Christmas. Because if this convoluted outing proved anything, it’s that this series has outstayed its welcome. Unlike Isis the dog, whose absence in this Christmas special finally disproved the conspiracy theory that she was just absent from the last episode to tease us. Sorry, people, but Isis really is dead.

As always this was a beautifully made and wonderfully acted confection showcasing all the shortcomings of the Downton Abbey brand. In the opening sequences, it felt as if the actors had been directed to speak the dialogue slowly and carefully in order to help viewers a) worse for the cooking sherry and b) unfamiliar with Downton (as probably many Christmas-only viewers were – lucky them). There was a lot of signposting of characters and history, which only served to flag up that there are often far too many people involved and far too many things going on.

As a standalone piece for anyone not following the series, I suspect this outing worked rather well as retro festive wallpaper. And there can surely be no finer features on screen than those of Matthew Goode (Wickham in last year’s Death Comes to Pemberley and also a series regular in The Good Wife), seen fleetingly here flirting with Lady Mary and making a Dukes of Hazzard-style getaway in a fast motorcar. If he is coming in as the dark-haired replacement for Dan Stevens, that will be a happy event indeed.

For those of us who have been suffering the joys and pains of the past five series, it tied up a paltry number of loose ends (Dame Maggie’s Russian tryst, Rose’s uncomfortable relationship with her new inlaws, Edith not knowing that her father knows about the Impostor Child). And Uncle Julian did at least give us the payoff we’ve been anticipating since last year’s Christmas episode: the marriage of Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson. Hooray!



But unbelievably (or totally believably if you are used to the snail’s pace of Downton) he left the “Who killed rapist valet Green?” plot open. We don’t even really know if it definitely isn’t Anna or definitely isn’t Bates. My money, despite the pub landlord’s evidence, is still on Bates. But surely by now we deserve resolution on this? We found out Green was dead on 10 November 2013. Seriously, Uncle Julian, how long are you going to leave this hanging? Do you even know who killed him? I suspect no one cares any more.

There were some pleasing details. The Russian Silver Fox! Midnight skating to the strains of the balaika! Setting sail in the prince’s yacht! The manic depressive Russian princess (Jane Lapotaire) was superb and, as every guest is forced to on this show, really made the most of her three sentences. Alun Armstrong as The Evil Butler, Stowell (yes, I know, I heard it as “Stole” and “Stowe” the whole way through, too), was wonderful: “I am not a novice anywhere.” And there was plenty of Molesley, which is always a delight. But what a missed opportunity! When Molesley was rifling in Anna’s drawers, I was convinced he would find the Ill-Defined Contraceptive Device. So disappointing.



But let’s draw a veil over that and concentrate on the best marriage proposal ever from a man resembling a cautious and lovable badger: “Well, that’s the point. I do want to be stuck with you ...” Who wouldn’t drink to Mr Carson’s happiness on Christmas Day?



READ MORE HERE: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/dec/25/downton-abbey-christmas-special-recap-it-worked-as-retro-festive-wallpaper

Benedict Cumberbatch Brilliant at Handling Fame - plus some videos of this week's appearances

VANITY FAIR
Katey Rich
November 18, 2014



Matthew Goode fondly remembers the days before Benedict Cumberbatch became, as he calls it, “a Beatle.” At a Q&A following a New York screening of The Imitation Game on Monday, Goode said he’d like to go back the days when he and his co-star would “go back to the Wells tavern in Hampstead and do pub quizzes.”

“Me too,” chimed in Cumberbatch, with the kind of longing that can only come from a man who knows he’s too famous to step foot inside a pub anytime soon.

“I love the little paintings above the bar,” Goode continued, to be interrupted by Cumberbatch—“The original Victorian engravings!”

“And we would sit in the window by the fire,” Goode said, sounding a little wistful, and only to set up his punch line: “And make slow love . . . No! That’s never happened!” As the audience roared and maybe even wolf-whistled, Goode got that wistful look in his eye again: “God, how I tried . . .”

Goode, Cumberbatch, and the rest of the Imitation Game cast—which includes Keira Knightley, Mark Strong, and Charles Dance—were on a whirlwind tour of New York City on Monday, from morning-show appearances, a luncheon with awards voters and other heavyweights, the premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater, to the SAG-screening Q&A, hosted by Vanity Fair digital director Mike Hogan. (We’ll have more on that conversation, video included, tomorrow.) The grand tour launched at the same time as a New York magazine feature titled “Benedict and the Cumberbitches,” about the 38-year-old’s massive fan base and the situation at the Toronto International Film Festival, which Goode described as “shutting the city down,” to the point that he and his other co-stars “weren’t allowed in. We’re like, ‘We’re in the fucking film, too. Can we come shout for him as well?’ ”

READ MORE HERE: http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/11/benedict-cumberbatch-fame

Downton Abbey spoilers: ****** ***** joins cast as Lady Mary's new love interest?

MIRROR
Nov 07, 2014 10:23 By Tufayel Ahmed



Downton Abbey’s Lady Mary is getting a new love interest - and he’s Goode, real Goode.

Watchmen and The Good Wife star Matthew Goode has reportedly signed up to play the widow’s latest suitor in the hit ITV period drama, reports the Daily Mail.

The actor was spotted filming scenes for the Christmas special and it's claimed he will also appear in several episodes of series six which begins filming in February.

A spokesperson for the show confirmed Goode will be in the Christmas special, telling Mirror TV: "Matthew Goode will appear in the Christmas episode as a guest character."

Goode, 36, is currently starring opposite Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley on the big screen in The Imitation Game.

Lady Mary - played by Michelle Dockery - has been fending off potential love matches over the last two series following the death of her husband Matthew Crawley.



READ MORE HERE: http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/downton-abbey-spoilers-matthew-goode-4584612

“Making Of” Behind-The-Scenes Featurette For ‘The Imitation Game’ – Starring Benedict Cumberbatch As Alan Turing

 FLICKS AND BITS



This new behind-the-scenes featurette has arrived online for ‘The Imitation Game,’ which stars the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Mark Strong, Rory Kinnear, Charles Dance, Allen Leech and Matthew Beard.

The film offers a dramatic portrayal of the life and work of Alan Turing, one of Britain’s most extraordinary unsung heroes, and one of the world’s greatest innovators.

READ MORE HERE AT FLICKS AND BITS: http://www.flicksandbits.com/2014/11/03/making-of-behind-the-scenes-featurette-for-the-imitation-game-starring-benedict-cumberbatch-as-alan-turing/78356/

This Woman's Question For Benedict Cumberbatch Will Make You Cringe With Horror

POP SUGAR
by Maria Mercedes Lara 9/11/14



We all know that Benedict Cumberbatch has very dedicated fans, but sometimes the more overeager of the self-proclaimed "Cumberbitches" can make things a bit awkward for the star. Benedict joined the cast of his new film, The Imitation Game, in Toronto on Tuesday to screen the Alan Turing-centered flick and take part in a Q&A. Unfortunately, while at the Q&A, things got a little weird when one female fan asked Benedict point blank if she could "feast on [his] yumminess."

According to one account, the woman opened her question by telling Benedict that he is "quite yummy" and then attempted to ask what part of Turing's life he identified with and also, in keeping with "the theme of the film" about celebrating being different, if she could taste the aforementioned "yumminess." Naturally, the crowd broke out into a mix of horror and laughter, with Benedict's costar Keira Knightley looking particularly amused and shocked. However, Benedict attempted to keep things professional, and gave a flustered answer to her "question:"

"I'll answer the first part of your question, which is . . . Christ. Sorry, I'm taken. I did not go into this Q&A about a gay icon who killed himself at 41 thinking I'd have to answer questions from someone who wants to taste my deliciousness."

READ MORE HERE: http://www.popsugar.com/Benedict-Cumberbatch-Q-TIFF-2014-Video-35692887?gallery=cpc&utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=popsugar_celebrity&utm_term=This-Womans-Question-For-Benedict-Cumber

Oscar's Battle of the Brits: Pals Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne Vie for the Gold

DAILY BEAST
Marlow Stern
September 11, 2014

With their towering performances in a pair of biopics, Cumberbatch as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game and Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, the two lads are earning serious awards buzz out of Toronto.

Cumberbitches and Redmaniacs, rejoice: You've got a pair of awards contenders on your hands—err… minds.

For the uninitiated, the Toronto International Film Festival is, aside from being one of the largest, most overwhelming film fests in the world, fertile ground for Oscar bait. The proof is in the poutine. American Beauty, Ray, Black Swan, and The King’s Speech, to name a few, all bowed in Toronto, and all received Academy Award wins for their stars. Most of the acting buzz at the ’14 edition of TIFF has concerned the performances of Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne in a pair of biopics that were practically stitched by hand in a clandestine awards factory beneath the Dolby Theatre.

Let’s start with the stronger of the two. In The Imitation Game, Cumberbatch portrays Alan Turing, a math prodigy and cryptanalyst who’s tasked by Prime Minister Winston Churchill with leading an elite group of code-breakers at Hut 8—a sector of Britain’s top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. Their mission is to break the Nazis’ Enigma code, their highly encrypted and presumably indecipherable method of communicating with their naval fleet via radio transmissions. “We’re going to break an unbreakable Nazi code, and win the war,” says Turing.

Directed by Morten Tydum from a screenplay by Graham Moore, the film chronicles Turing’s tragic life (via flashbacks) from his days as a bullied, reticent budding genius who falls for his boarding school classmate, to his World War II heroism, to the subsequent witch hunt in the days after the war that leads to his 1952 conviction on the grounds of “indecency” for engaging in a homosexual tryst—illegal in the U.K. until the Sexual Offences Act 1967, which decriminalized homosexual behavior. Turing was offered the option of two years in prison or oestrogen injections—tantamount to chemical castration. He opted for the latter, and two years later, took his own life by ingesting cyanide.

Another role Oscars were made for comes courtesy of Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything. The impressively-coiffed Brit plays renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking, who fused the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics to create groundbreaking studies on black holes and gravitational singularity theorems. At the age of 21, while studying cosmology at the University of Cambridge, he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease—or ALS—and given two years to live. Hawking slid into a deep depression, but was brought out of it by his girlfriend Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones) who proposed marriage and gave him something to live for.

Directed by Oscar winner James Marsh (Man on Wire) from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, the film is more of a straightforward biopic that traces Hawking’s relationship with Wilde at Cambridge, his groundbreaking work in the field of theoretical physics, and his gradual physical decline—first losing his ability to speak, followed by near-complete paralysis. Though Hawking slowly loses control of his physical faculties, his mind remains sharp as ever, and Redmayne captures this with his boyish charm—the twinkle in his eye, and his self-effacing brand of humor. And the 32-year-old Brit, who coincidentally graduated from Cambridge himself with 2:1 Honours, does a superb job of navigating Hawking through his physical deterioration, including his slide into depression. The scenes between Redmayne and Jones where the latter party struggles to pull him away from the edge are masterful.

Of course, Redmayne also positively looks the part, and his portrayal of Hawking during the latter stages of ALS—the impaired speech and mannerisms—is spot-on.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/11/oscar-s-battle-of-the-brits-pals-benedict-cumberbatch-and-eddie-redmayne-vie-for-the-gold.html

(video) TIFF 2014: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Allen Leech red carpets

CANOE
ENNY YUEN, QMI AGENCY
Sep 9, 2014
Last Updated: 10:44 PM ET



QMI reporter Jenny Yuen hit the red carpet for Day 6 of the Toronto International Film Festival. Jenny caught up with with the stars of David Cronenberg's "Maps to the Stars" and Morten Tyldum's "The Imitation Game."

Jenny at "The Imitation Game" red carper: Keira Knightley calls for stronger roles for women, Allen Leech talks Downton Abbey.

Keira Knightley said that even though disparity between men and women is improving, there is still a long way to go.

Knightley portrays Joan Clarke in Imitation Game, which captures the life and times of British mathematician, cryptanalyst and computer scientist Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), a key figure in cracking The Nazi's Enigma code that helped allies win the Second World War only to be later was vilified for his homosexuality.

Clarke develops a deep friendship with Turing and becomes his confidante and is one-time fiancée.



Downton Abbey star Allen Leech, who plays British spy John Cairncross in the film, said while he is a coder in the movie, English was his forte in school.

"Math was not, to be honest," he said. "We had two weeks for rehearsals, which was such a blessing. (The cast) really got to know each other and you get to see it on the screen."

On a celebrity side note, Leech said he doesn't consider himself famous per se, but said there is a polite method for fans to approach for a selfie.

"If there was someone that was a fan of Downton or a fan of The Imitation Game, if they ask, it's always nice, rather than having a camera shoved in your face," he said. "I remember going up to Pierce Brosnan when I was a kid, back at home, and once you ask, even though it's scary, ultimately it's very flattering that someone would like a picture with you."

READ MORE HERE:http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/2014/09/09/21929796.html

Benedict Cumberbatch Brings His Sherlock Persona To The Brainy, Brilliant The Imitation Game

CINEMA BLEND
BY SEAN O'CONNELL 2014-09-07 19:30:50



Morten Tydlum’s The Imitation Game is a first-rate biopic, a thrilling espionage game that’s beautifully crafted and acted. To speak the film’s language – one of codes cracked by mathematicians – the movie equates. It’s also every bit as touching, tragic and romantic as it is intelligent and compelling. And yes, for those who keep track of these annual marathons, it is (or should be) an Oscar contender. Picture, director, screenplay, supporting actress and actor all seem to be in play.

Particularly Best Actor – yes, "Cumberbitches" – for Benedict Cumberbatch's calculated, lean, strong and confident portrayal of brilliant mathematician Alan Turing, who is recruited by the British government during time of war to help decipher Enigma, the machine the Germans use to encode their messages. To crack Enigma might mean to drastically shorten the war. But there is a lot more happening in The Imitation Game then the war effort.

"Pay attention," we are warned, in a Sherlock-y, Khan tone. Alan Turing has secrets. Everyone has secrets at play in The Imitation Game, from the military brass who recruit Turing to the MI6 agent (Mark Strong) who shadows his progress. But few are quite as damaging, as life-altering as Turing’s secrets can (and will) be. If you know history, you know the progressing of this story. The Imitation Game guards its reveal until the one-hour mark, so I’ll steer clear of it for now. It will be a major talking point as the film begins to roll out and play to larger audiences. For now, here’s what I’m comfortable telling you.

Turing -- much like Benedict Cumberbatch’s iconic Sherlock Holmes portrayal -- is a hyper-intelligent, internalized sociopaths with little patience for inferior folks and a laser-focus on task. The task, in this case, could save thousands of military lives and, possibly, turn the tide in a global conflict. But Turing is supposed to be part of a team, and the men he’s supposed to collaborate with (personified by Matthew Goode, Matthew Beard and Allen Leech) can’t stand his aloof arrogance.

Before you bringing in the ever-suffering John Watson, The Imitation Game dangles a bit of a bait and switch. Keira Knightley – the staple of period dramas such as this – is introduced as Joan Clarke, an equally brilliant mathematician whose gender costs her a spot on Turing code-breaking team. In a conventional film, she’d be a love interest. The Imitation Game is not a conventional film. At the moment where a normal biopic would detour into possible romance, the "Pay attention" warning come back, and takes us down a different, more sobering path

READ MORE HERE: http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Benedict-Cumberbatch-Brings-His-Sherlock-Persona-Brainy-Brilliant-Imitation-Game-67095.html

Benedict Cumberbatch takes on the Nazis in first images from The Imitation Game

RADIO TIMES
Ellie Walker-Arnott
11:09 AM, 06 June 2014



Cumberbatch is playing the lead in the movie about the life and career of scientist Alan Turing who became famous for breaking Enigma codes during the Second World War, only to then be criminally prosecuted for his homosexuality.

The 37-year-old British star isn't the only A-lister to lend his acting talents to the flick. A few of Cumberbatch's co-stars – Keira Knightly, Matthew Goode and Downton Abbey's Allen Leech – can be seen here, too.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-06-06/benedict-cumberbatch-takes-on-the-nazis-in-first-images-from-the-imitation-game