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[ "Downton Abbey" by John Lunn]
- Patrick Stoner: No film has been more anticipated
by PBS audiences
than Downton Abbey .
I met with Michelle Dockery, "Lady Mary,"
Laura Carmichael, "Lady Edith,"
and Allen Leech, "Branson."
And I talked to them about the film
and first noting how successful it was on PBS in America.
- Did feel like overnight, didn't it?
- Yeah. -When it--when it all happened,
and America suddenly fell in love with Downton ,
it it did feel like that way, didn't it?
- I remember you came back.
You guys had done the first tour as the family.
- Yeah, well -- -And you guys came back,
and you were like, "This is -- guys!
"America love it!"
We're like, "Really?"
They're like, "No, America love it."
- In unison: Yes.
- Right, and on PBS, we don't try to get a mass audience.
We couldn't keep them away.
We did our best -- [all laughing]
-- to hold the audience down, it could not be done.
Seems to me that that's what Julian does so well.
Does that resonate at all with you?
- I think what Julian does brilliantly is, well,
he lulls you into a false sense of security
with a character or with a certain storyline.
And then, as you say, he turns it and it's that thing,
that you go, "I can't believe he did that,
but I'm so glad he did."
And I hate him for doing it, so you always
and you're always kind of on the edge of your seat.
And even in the movie, there's those moments as well.
- To what extent is it difficult to adjust
to exactly what it is
Julian has now aimed you in the direction of?
- We've gotten to know Julian so well
and trust him so much with these characters
we know so well that yeah,
we are quite comfortable in these parts now.
I'd say coming back to do the film
did feel very familiar.
To what extent, though,
do you feel like you own these characters?
- I think that's something that is that, as an actor,
you you have to do. - Yeah.
- You have to have some ownership...
- Mm-hmm.
- ...of your character.
Well, you also have to bring yourself to it,
which then Julian would watch in your characters,
and then develop from something you had created.
- Yeah. - Definitely, definitely.
Yeah, well, I mean Allen came into the show
- To do three episodes. - To do three episodes.
- Yeah, and it was only because of what he saw on-screen
that he said himself that he said,
"I actually wanted to start to write for that."
But even Tom Branson
was originally John Branson from Yorkshire.
- Really?
- It was only when I came in he went,
"Oh, actually, keep your Irish accent."
And I thought, "Well, I'm not gonna get the role then."
- And of course, that developed that whole story.
- 'Cause it opened up in Julian's mind,
I can go into the the Irish situation.
You know, his Republicanism and all that was happening in
Ireland at the time.
- Thank you. - In unison: Thank you.
I'm Patrick Stoner.
Very happy. [all laughing]
- Announcer: Flicks with Patrick Stoner
explores the craft and culture of filmmaking
that enhance our communities
for television stations
and websites around the country.
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