‘Downton Abbey’ Star Allen Leech Says He Was Surprised By The New Movie’s Plot
Downton Abbey and Bohemian Rhapsody star Allen Leech is riding high after the success of the Queen biopic and wrapping the movie incarnation of the small screen hit. Now, because the Downton Abbey movie is so highly anticipated, there is already talk of a second movie to continue the story of the Crawley family into another decade.
The Post Bulletin is reporting that though the Downton Abbey movie isn’t due to be released until September, several of the actors involved in the production have gotten a sneak peek at the film and are said to be impressed. Leech, who is back for the movie as the former chauffeur, Tom Branson, said that the show creator, Julian Fellowes, created a well-balanced script that should please the die-hard fans of the PBS series.
“It’s Julian — you’re going to have tears. He’s never too saccharine-sweet, so be prepared for everything.”
But Leech says that Fellowes even fooled him with what he came up with for the plot, and praises him for finding a way to include all of the members of the cast in the compelling narrative.
“I was very surprised about the angle that Julian went with. But then again, I was also amazed that he managed to get the entire 22-[member] cast to have their own story within the contained two-hour movie.”
Actor Elizabeth McGovern, who plays Cora, Lady Grantham, mother-in-law of Leech’s character in Downton Abbey, has also shared some thoughts about the Downton movie with fans, says Town & Country. While the original show often shocked fans with sudden deaths and assaults, McGovern teases that the movie takes on more of a nostalgic feel.
“I feel like the movie looks at all the characters with a really affectionate lens. In the way it’s written, there’s almost a nostalgia for all the characters.”
The stage actor says that just being able to put on the costumes again for her character, Lady Cora, and working with the original cast felt like a gift to participate in.
Joanne Froggatt, who played lady’s maid Anna Bates in the original series, said that coming back to film at Highclere Castle was like attending a high school reunion where you really liked the people you attended school with, says The Inquisitr. Froggatt, who will play Anna as a new mother in the Downton Abbey movie, says that from the start, the PBS and ITV series was a “dream job.”
