TVLINE | Let’s get the burning
question out of the way: What was your reaction to Dan Stevens’
leaving?
We had all signed for three years on the show. So when it
came to the point of them deciding to take the show further, we all had a
choice. Yeah, initially, I was sad to hear that he was leaving. But looking
back, in hindsight, what it’s done is opened up an opportunity for the writing
to really shift and for [creator] Julian [Fellowes] to write such a great
storyline for [Season] 4 – and not just for Mary. Matthew’s death affects so
many other characters. We miss him. I spent three years with Dan, carrying that
Matthew-and-Mary storyline. I really loved working with him. So he is
missed.
TVLINE | How far in advance did
you know his exit was coming?
We knew before we started the third
[season]. We knew very far in advance. We also knew that it would be very finite
because, of course, Matthew being the heir to Downton Abbey, there was no other
storyline really to write other than that he had to die some way. Even if he
left or disappeared or decided that it wasn’t working with him and Mary
[laughs], it wouldn’t have really worked because, of course, he would
still have that tie with Downton. So it had to be that brutal.
TVLINE | What did you think of
his final scene? Reading it on paper is one thing…
I was watching it
with my family. I knew it was coming, and I hadn’t told them. They knew that Dan
was leaving. It had got out that he was going. But they were really shocked. And
so was I. The way it was filmed, it all happened so quickly. It really shocked
people and wasn’t what they were expecting on Christmas Day.
[Laughs]
TVLINE | At the time of his exit,
especially, it was hard to imagine the show without that central relationship of
Mary and Matthew. Did you go through that struggle, too?
Definitely.
I went through a phase where I worried about where it was going. But now I see,
since we filmed [Season] 4, for Mary, there is a life without Matthew. The
fourth [season] is about recovery. She’s starting a new life. In some ways,
there are similarities to [Season] 1 before Mary got together with Matthew.
There’s various suitors that are being thrown in her direction. But she’s very
reluctant to go through with any of it because, of course, she can’t stop
thinking about Matthew. He’s still very much a part of her thoughts. She’ll
never get over it. You don’t ever get over losing someone. It’s learning to deal
with it and move on. He’s a hard one to replace.
TVLINE | Dan was your scene
partner for so much of the show. Was it difficult to go back to work without
him?
It was strange going back, similar to when Jessica Brown
Findlay [who plays Sybil] left. You get so used to working all day long together
and waking up at those early hours together and sharing cars home together. It
was just strange not having him around. We spent three years together. And I
loved playing that story and that arc with the characters, with Dan.
TVLINE | There’s a new romantic
interest in Mary’s life, played by Tom
Cullen. How does he compare to Matthew?
[His character]
Gillingham is an old family friend. The sisters knew him when we were growing
up, and we haven’t seen him since then. A party is organized at the house, and
he is invited to it. He’s just a different character. And there’s other
potential suitors, as well. It’s not just him. There’s a character called Blake,
played by Julian Ovenden. And Evelyn Napier (played by Brendan Patricks) comes
back, as well. He was the one who brought the Turkish diplomat along. That was
lovely to play scenes with Brendan again because we haven’t seen him since
Season 1. They’re very different.
TVLine | Is it exciting for you
to be back in the chase, so to speak?
It is. And this year, we have
a few new characters coming in. [Mary's] beginning to come back to real life
again because it takes her a long, long time to even interact with anyone.
There’s a real energy about [Season] 4. It’s very much the ’20s. It’s very much
the bright, young things. Rose, the cousin, and Edith very much represent this
new wave of fashion, of dining in restaurants with a man, without being
accompanied. There’s a real shift in the periods, more so than [Season] 3. I
thought [Season] 3 was very much the ’20s, but it’s moved even further on. It
feels closer to where we are today. It’s a bit more modern. That’s what will be
appealing about [Season] 4. There’s a sense of change, again.
question out of the way: What was your reaction to Dan Stevens’
leaving?
We had all signed for three years on the show. So when it
came to the point of them deciding to take the show further, we all had a
choice. Yeah, initially, I was sad to hear that he was leaving. But looking
back, in hindsight, what it’s done is opened up an opportunity for the writing
to really shift and for [creator] Julian [Fellowes] to write such a great
storyline for [Season] 4 – and not just for Mary. Matthew’s death affects so
many other characters. We miss him. I spent three years with Dan, carrying that
Matthew-and-Mary storyline. I really loved working with him. So he is
missed.
TVLINE | How far in advance did
you know his exit was coming?
We knew before we started the third
[season]. We knew very far in advance. We also knew that it would be very finite
because, of course, Matthew being the heir to Downton Abbey, there was no other
storyline really to write other than that he had to die some way. Even if he
left or disappeared or decided that it wasn’t working with him and Mary
[laughs], it wouldn’t have really worked because, of course, he would
still have that tie with Downton. So it had to be that brutal.
TVLINE | What did you think of
his final scene? Reading it on paper is one thing…
I was watching it
with my family. I knew it was coming, and I hadn’t told them. They knew that Dan
was leaving. It had got out that he was going. But they were really shocked. And
so was I. The way it was filmed, it all happened so quickly. It really shocked
people and wasn’t what they were expecting on Christmas Day.
[Laughs]
TVLINE | At the time of his exit,
especially, it was hard to imagine the show without that central relationship of
Mary and Matthew. Did you go through that struggle, too?
Definitely.
I went through a phase where I worried about where it was going. But now I see,
since we filmed [Season] 4, for Mary, there is a life without Matthew. The
fourth [season] is about recovery. She’s starting a new life. In some ways,
there are similarities to [Season] 1 before Mary got together with Matthew.
There’s various suitors that are being thrown in her direction. But she’s very
reluctant to go through with any of it because, of course, she can’t stop
thinking about Matthew. He’s still very much a part of her thoughts. She’ll
never get over it. You don’t ever get over losing someone. It’s learning to deal
with it and move on. He’s a hard one to replace.
TVLINE | Dan was your scene
partner for so much of the show. Was it difficult to go back to work without
him?
It was strange going back, similar to when Jessica Brown
Findlay [who plays Sybil] left. You get so used to working all day long together
and waking up at those early hours together and sharing cars home together. It
was just strange not having him around. We spent three years together. And I
loved playing that story and that arc with the characters, with Dan.
TVLINE | There’s a new romantic
interest in Mary’s life, played by Tom
Cullen. How does he compare to Matthew?
[His character]
Gillingham is an old family friend. The sisters knew him when we were growing
up, and we haven’t seen him since then. A party is organized at the house, and
he is invited to it. He’s just a different character. And there’s other
potential suitors, as well. It’s not just him. There’s a character called Blake,
played by Julian Ovenden. And Evelyn Napier (played by Brendan Patricks) comes
back, as well. He was the one who brought the Turkish diplomat along. That was
lovely to play scenes with Brendan again because we haven’t seen him since
Season 1. They’re very different.
TVLine | Is it exciting for you
to be back in the chase, so to speak?
It is. And this year, we have
a few new characters coming in. [Mary's] beginning to come back to real life
again because it takes her a long, long time to even interact with anyone.
There’s a real energy about [Season] 4. It’s very much the ’20s. It’s very much
the bright, young things. Rose, the cousin, and Edith very much represent this
new wave of fashion, of dining in restaurants with a man, without being
accompanied. There’s a real shift in the periods, more so than [Season] 3. I
thought [Season] 3 was very much the ’20s, but it’s moved even further on. It
feels closer to where we are today. It’s a bit more modern. That’s what will be
appealing about [Season] 4. There’s a sense of change, again.
xx
