The sequel film to Downton Abbey – A New Era – literally marks a revolution for the Crawley family estate, which will have to deal with the arrival of a film company that has chosen Downton as the location for a silent film – one of the last ones. Among them is Myrna Dalgleish, played by Laura Haddock (Da Vinci’s Demons)!
What do we know about her? “Myrna Dalgleish is one of the most successful silent film stars in her time and she travels to England to shoot a silent film called The Gambler, in Downton,” explains Laura. “Halfway through the shoot, the film company stops the film because they feel that other companies around the world are starting to make ‘talking’ films that have become a phenomenon. Such an exciting development in the industry that it threatens to confine silent films to the shadows or even retire them.”
This news profoundly shakes Myrna’s inner confidence, despite being a big film star. “What few of her fans know is that Myrna was born in the East End of London. She has a very humble background and doesn’t have the personality she plays on screen,” adds Haddock.
Many of the women servants admire Myrna, as she is a big star. “It must have been really incredibly exciting for them to see her in person and have her in the house living amongst them,” explains Laura. “When they find out what she’s really like they’re quite shocked.”
Among Downton’s servants, Haddock’s character will mainly interact with Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier) the house butler who stays at the estate when the family travels to France.
What was it like to join the cast of this big family that we know so well?
“I’m a Downton Abbey fan and to find myself sitting in the dining room in front of Maggie Smith was amazing,” reveals Laura Haddock. The actress tells how one day, during rehearsals, she found herself in one of the shots looking directly at Maggie and giving her a wink at the end of the line, “thinking then that it was probably too confidential on my part,” she concludes.
“I don’t know if it was the right thing to do but, at the time, it felt right; she is incredible, a very powerful presence in the room. I felt welcomed by everyone on set and the shoot was very relaxed and fun. It was really good work after emerging from the pandemic.”
Laura Haddock on working on the Downton Abbey A New Era Set
What was it like working with the make-up artist, hairdresser and costume designer in creating Myrna’s look?
“We had a lot of fun putting all the elements of Myrna together,” says Haddock. Myrna is a platinum blonde with red nails and red lips – “the kind we’ve never seen before on Downton,” adds the actress. It’s quite a specific image that these silent film stars conformed to, with platinum blonde hair and looking very different from the women at Downton.
“Her clothes had to be much more seductive and colourful than those of the ladies of the house who wore elegant, muted colours whereas Myrna was dressed in fur and velvet in much lighter colours. The furs and bright, flamboyant dresses are all part of Myrna’s Linus blanket.”
Laura Haddock on Myrna ‘s look in Downton Abbey A New Era
Downton Abbey A New Era is coming out only in theatres May 20 – but we got an exclusive first look!
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