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