Photo: Carnival Film & Television Ltd.
When she's not dressed to the nines in posh period costume as Lady Cora, Countess of Grantham, in "Downton Abbey,"
Elizabeth McGovern likes to wear eco-conscious clothing. Her good friend Livia Firth (wife of actor Colin) turned her on to fashion designers like the French company Kami, which uses only sustainable fabrics. "And they're absolutely stunning to look at," says McGovern, who drives a Prius, "but I try not to drive," taking public transportation instead.
The London-based American-born actress returns to PBS' "Masterpiece Classic" in "Downton Abbey," premiering Jan. 8, as the American wife of the lord of the titular manor — a role for which she earned both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. "She's a character that becomes more and more fascinating to me as the story goes on. I love her quiet strength. It's not an in-your-face, 'I'll do it my way' thing, but it's done her way. I think that's fascinating. I think she works the system to her advantage and works it well, but does it with dignity and grace and is quiet about it. I like all that about her," says McGovern.
The second series begins in 1916 with England at war and various secrets and entanglements continuing upstairs within the family and downstairs among the help, or both, as the romance between Lady Sybil and Branson the chauffeur heats up. There will be a
flu epidemic, betrayal, weddings and several deaths before the season comes to a close in February with an episode set at
Christmas. "You'll see a lot of the stories settle down and find resolution, but the story isn't over," says McGovern, looking forward to a third installment.
She enjoys doing the period drama, and all that comes with it. "It's wonderful to wear the costumes even though it is painful. I love the simplicity of it. I love the lack of excess stimuli that we all have to put up with now. When we're all at the castle shooting it, it actually feels so simple and pure and quiet. It's very peaceful." But playing the aristocratic Cora hasn't rubbed off on her. "I swear like a fishwife and I get on my hands and knees and scrub the floor," she confides.
McGovern, who performs around London as a singer-guitarist in her band, Sadie and the Hotheads, when she's not acting, loves England but says she still feels very American, "more as time goes by. But London suits me. It suits my temperament." She appreciates that she can enjoy her privacy there. "There's not quite the same cult of celebrity that there is here. Actors are more respected and less idolized," she compares. "There's a different attitude that I think is saner."
Moving easily between British and American productions, McGovern next plays an English in "Cheerful Weather for the Wedding," set in the 1930s, and American in "Angels Crest," "about a terrible accident that happens in a small town and the impact it has on the community."
