'Downton Abbey: A New Era' Interviews With Allen Leech, Laura Carmichael

Cinema Blend

“Downton Abbey: A New Era,” and CinemaBlend’s Mike Reyes got the privilege of discussing all of the behind-the-scenes details with stars Allen Leech, Laura Carmichael, Joanne Froggatt and Phyllis Logan, as well as Creator Julian Fellowes.

Transcript

00:00A moving picture at Downton.

00:02For the big little sass famous one.

00:04Three, two, one, action!

00:11How are you both today?

00:13Thank you very much.

00:14Oh, it's wonderful to be talking to you about Downton Abbey A New Era.

00:18As always, returning to Downton just looks so effortless for everyone, but obviously

00:24it's a movie.

00:24There's going to be long, grueling days on set, and I wanted to ask you both,

00:29what was the hardest day to get through?

00:35The longest day on set?

00:37Probably, I think one of the dining room scenes we had in France.

00:41That was, it wasn't that the day was any longer than it normally was.

00:46It was just that it was 32 degrees and we were surrounded by seafood.

00:50It's not the best choice.

00:52And it was all sitting out for two days or three days, actually.

00:56And I had the great idea of saying that I was happy to de-shell one of the lobster tails

01:01in every take.

01:02And just a couple of times that didn't go well and I got spattered with some entrails.

01:05So for me, that was definitely the longest day of filming.

01:10Yeah, and also I felt like that the dance that was supposed to be in France,

01:14there was only one bit that we did a bit of doubling.

01:17But the party at the end of France, that was a night shoot and we were doubling

01:25some parts of the UK for the South of France.

01:27And so it was pretty freezing, actually, and raining.

01:30And so that felt like a pretty long day.

01:33Yeah, you're right.

01:35What is those night dances?

01:39Especially because, Alan, you had the night dance at the end of Downton One.

01:43And that led to a bet between the producers.

01:48Did that bet ever get paid off?

01:51To the best of my knowledge,

01:52Gareth Neame has not yet paid Liz Troubridge for her great idea of having me dance outside.

01:57What?

01:57To the best of my knowledge.

01:58Yes.

01:59He also said he was joking.

02:00He also said it wasn't 500 quid, that it was a fiver and someone misunderstood him.

02:06But I believe it has been paid.

02:08Yeah, we should get him.

02:09Someone needs to grill him on that.

02:11Yeah, definitely.

02:13Well, for me, I think it was probably...

02:16Mrs Hughes ends up in a rather bizarre outfit,

02:20which you would not expect to see her in, in normal circumstances.

02:26And I literally couldn't get into the toilet with it.

02:32I didn't know that.

02:33No, no, I couldn't, because you know, I tried every way, which way.

02:37And so I had to...

02:41I think I went in the field in the end.

02:42I don't know what I did.

02:44I don't know what I did, but we worked it out some way,

02:47but it was quite a challenge.

02:49Trust me.

02:49That is not fun.

02:52Um, for me, what was the hardest day?

02:56To be perfectly honest, I don't think I really had a hard day.

03:00No.

03:00Like, in all honesty.

03:01I mean, yeah, it's just, it's just so much fun.

03:04We have such a giggle.

03:06And it's a privilege to be...

03:07Yeah, we all know each other so well.

03:09And we slot back into those roles and, you know,

03:11to have the sort of new cast members with us,

03:13and who were great fun and brilliant at what they did.

03:18And it was just, um, it was great.

03:20I mean, the whole, it was just great fun.

03:22You know, it wasn't, there was no hardship for me.

03:26I'm just the mourner.

03:27The complete...

03:28Well, no, that's pretty, that's pretty hard going if you can't go to the loo.

03:31Hardcore, yes.

03:33There's trouble in paradise.

03:35You don't need me to tell you that marriage is a novel

03:38full of plot twists along the way.

03:39There were rumors surrounding an iconic character dying in the sequel.

03:44However, the film does sort of misdirect us with a whole plot involving Korra.

03:49What inspired you to throw that curveball into the script?

03:54No, I mean, I don't know what I have to say about it, really.

03:58I mean, this is what we came to as a story.

04:02And with Korra and Robert,

04:06who both have quite emotional storylines this time,

04:13I felt that in the earlier film,

04:15although they were, you know, in it a lot,

04:18I mean, they were on screen,

04:19but they didn't have their own particular emotional journey.

04:23And so I did want to give them both something with sort of meat on the bones

04:28for them to get their teeth into, you know?

04:30So that was conscious.

04:32And apart from that, you know, I do my research

04:38and I, you know, I was looking for a certain kind of condition

04:43and that sort of thing.

04:45And then I get advice from people who know far more about it than I do.

04:49Laura, Edith has gone from strength to strength

04:52throughout the entire history of Downton.

04:54And now, you know, she's back to writing.

04:56She has such a wonderful, thriving family life.

04:59What do you think is the greatest difference

05:01between the Edith you met and the pilot

05:03and the Edith we see in A New Era?

05:05Oh, wow, that's a good question.

05:07I think she really has grown and evolved.

05:10I mean, she was very traditional, I think, when you met her.

05:14I think she really thought she was going to have

05:16very similar life to that of her grandmothers,

05:19to marry well and live in a big house.

05:21And even though she did end up doing that,

05:24she took a more interesting route.

05:26And I think, you know, she really found her voice

05:29and became a writer.

05:32And that has given her this amazing self-confidence, I think.

05:37And I think you see that in this movie with her and Bertie.

05:40She seems just in a really good place.

05:43So yeah, she's much happier than the Edith we met in season one.

05:47Women like us fall into two categories, dragons and fools.

05:52You must make sure they think of you as a dragon.

05:56So A New Era is indeed dawning.

05:59New developments, dear friends are leaving.

06:01If Downton Three happens, do either of you have ideas

06:04for where you would like it to go?

06:08Maldives.

06:11Funny you mentioned that, because Phyllis,

06:14when we spoke for Home Video, you and Jim Carter

06:16pitched the Carsons going to the Maldives.

06:19Did you?

06:20Well, he would, of course, because he's quite an aficionado

06:23of the Maldives, is he not?

06:25But yes, he probably did, yes.

06:27So I think it's a no-brainer.

06:31We've all got to move the castle there.

06:35Absolutely.

06:36Exactly.

06:37Brick by brick, it could work.

06:39And how do I help you get co-writing credit for this film?

06:43Because obviously, Mr. Carson gets to go to the south of France

06:46and he burned like he said he would.

06:48So do you want me to talk to Julian about this?

06:52If you would, that would be great.

06:55Which would be much appreciated, yes.

06:58Oh, well, in relation to the whole idea or plot

07:02we've been talking about, we love the idea of

07:06Downton coming to New York just before the crash of Wall Street

07:10to come visit Shirley MacLaine's character.

07:12Let's go see Cora's family.

07:15Yeah, I think if we're carrying on our excursion.

07:18Yeah, now they've realised they can go on a boat,

07:22it's not going to sink, that they can possibly go to New York.

07:27All the boats have sank before that point, so you're good.

07:29And absolutely every single one at some point.

07:32Or been sunk.

07:33Yeah.

07:35They better be warned.

07:37The British are coming.

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