Downton Abbey: Lady Mary lets her hair down (New York Post)

 

Michelle Dockery of ‘Downton Abbey’ explains her character’s contradictions

By MARGY ROCHLIN

Last Updated: 3:16 AM, January 22, 2012

Posted: 6:44 PM, January 21, 2012

Why is Lady Mary our current favorite Grantham on Masterpiece’s “Downton Abbey”?

Could it be that Michelle Dockery plays her as always surprising? In a crowd, for example, she’s just another aristocrat – pretty, dark-haired, stiff of smile and coolly appraising. But when the room clears, and her shoulders sag, dozens of emotions — hurt, hopefulness, fragility — can start churning beneath her alabaster, angular face.


Q. When did you first realize “Downton Abbey” was catching on in America?

A. I was at the Tea Set in New York and [I heard] a couple talking about the show, saying, “What do you think is going to happen?” Then, as they got up to leave, [the man] took my hand and said, “We all love it. It’s such a wonderful show.” I got such a warm feeling. I just wanted all the cast to be with me just to experience that. I texted Dan Stevens, who plays Matthew, and said, “Dan, it’s amazing. I’m in a café and people are talking about ‘Downton!’ ”

Q. The usually chilly Lady Mary is warming up in season two. Why do you think that is?
A. At the beginning she’s a cold fish. You find her at her hardest, a real snob. She’s quite mean to Matthew Crawley. Then something changes in her when she has that night with Pamuk. As opposed to her just floating around this grand house with all her privileges she becomes very human because something bad has happened. She’s made a mistake. From then on she became much more vulnerable, and continues to be.

Q. Ah, Pamuk: Did they or didn’t do it?
A. I think they did. [Puzzled.] It’s interesting that people would debate that.

Q. Why risk her reputation for a man she barely knows?
A. He was the most stunning thing she’d ever seen. I think she was swept away in the moment. God forbid she got pregnant or something. As Anna said, “You were lucky there.”

Q. Does Mary know that the servants all know that a dead Turkish diplomat was removed from her bedroom in the dark of night?
A. She isn’t fully aware of how many people are aware of that rumor, but I think she’s got an idea. I think it’s pretty obvious. People gossip. I think she tries not to think about it.

Q. Mostly you film at Highclere Castle. Do you feel different when you’re at Ealing Studios, the home turf for the servants’ downstairs scenes?
A. My bedroom is actually at Ealing. When I’m there, particularly in the corridors and the kitchen, I feel very much out of my territory. In some ways it feels like a slightly different job. You’re in London. You can go home every night. And there are certain people that you don’t really get to see [at Highclere] like Siobhan [Finneran], who plays O’Brien, and Sophie [McShera], who is Daisy, the kitchen maid. Occasionally we maybe get to walk past each other. But we never do scenes together. Ever.

Q. When you first started “Downton,” how scared were you of Maggie Smith?
A. Us three girls, the sisters [Sybil and Ethel], we were very nervous. I don’t know if it was the first scene or the second, but we relaxed after she made a joke. Above the mantelpiece in Highclere there’s a sign that says C.C., which is Carnarvon. But she looked at it and said so dryly, “Oh, the mantelpiece was designed by Coco Chanel.” We all fell out laughing. She’s brilliant. I had to sort of up my game around her. I’ve watched her my whole life in films; you’re inspired by actresses like Maggie when you’re starting out.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/lady_mary_lets_her_hair_down_an4uFIFaF18fJWuwtj6c3M#ixzz1kCaeEy6M