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. Mary Crawley Talbot is finally beginning to realise that she is a good housewife and this represents the culmination of her character’s evolution, considering what she was like at the start of the series. In view of the upcoming release of the film, Michelle Dockery gave us an insight into what to expect from Mary’s character in Downton Abbey 2 – A New Era!

The film starts in 1928.

It’s been nine months since the last film and things have stayed pretty much the same for Mary, Michelle Dockery tells us. In her character we will see a noticeable change in approach towards what is the role of the landlady, finding the beautiful part of that.

“She still runs the house and she enjoys it; in the past ten years of the show she seems to have gone from someone who didn’t really see herself in the head of house role to someone who now feels comfortable in it. That’s been quite an interesting transformation because she, if I look back, never wanted this role whereas now she appreciates it.”

Michelle Dockery on Mary ‘s evolution

Where is she with her marriage and what does the near future hold for Mary?

Unfortunately for all Matthew Goode fans, Henry will stay away racing cars throughout the course of the film. This, as we know from the series and the film, makes Mary a bit vulnerable.

“She receives a phone call at Downton from a film producer asking to use the house as a location. Lord Grantham turns it down but the ever pragmatic Mary says, ‘no, we need to hear what they’re offering’. She is always looking for ways to find the resources to maintain the house and repair the roof. For this, Lady Mary and Edith meet the director, played by the talented Hugh Dancy, who makes them what they think is a very tempting offer. Mary then becomes the captain of the ship that runs the house when the film crew moves in. And she makes sure everything goes smoothly behind the scenes.”

Michelle Dockery on the arrival of the filming crew at Downton

It is Violet who suggests to Mary that she show her father the state of the attics to convince him that this offer will pay for this and other things in the house that need repair. In the course of this second film chapter, Dockery explains, we see how Mary is always trying to find ways to keep the house going.

“You also get the impression that she confides a lot in Violet, which you don’t see directly but there is a wordless communication between them. Like that moment when she says, ‘Mary, would you take your father up to see the attics?’ Robert then agrees and tells Mary that she’s in charge now and to do what she thinks is right, which she does.”

Michelle Dockery

The arrival of the film crew at Downton disrupts both upstairs and downstairs housekeeping but Michelle thinks Mary is excited by it.

“As unflappable as she is on the outside, I think on the inside she is quite thrilled by it all. It would have been great for all of them to see these silent film stars in person. Myrna Dalgleish and Guy Dexter were very famous at the time and all of a sudden they arrive in the middle of their home and their world, which is quite extraordinary. A lot of rules are skipped because there is no reason why they should have to conform to the rules of the house and the family meal times. Myrna is a tornado who comes into the house and decides when she wants to eat. Mary tries to deal with this and informs her that we eat when the kitchens are ready and not before.”

Michelle Dockery on how much the arrival of the film crew will disrupt Downton’s order.

I usually spend a lot of time working with Laura [Carmicheal], Elizabeth [McGovern] and Hugh [Bonneville] with all the family scenes we shoot and although there are some of those scenes in this film, much of Mary’s story is with the new characters.

Michelle Dockery on Mary ‘s scenes in Downton Abbey 2

Mary interacts mostly with the film director, Jack Barber (Hugh Dancy), Dockery explains, and there is a really good relationship between the two.

“Barber is a handsome and very charismatic director who Mary really likes and gets on well with. There’s this part of the story where the film Jack is making is having financial problems because silent films are no longer grossing and there’s a growing push by the industry to introduce ‘talkies’. Jack suggests to Mary that she take her to see one of Myrna’s films. The cinema is completely empty whereas the cinema at the end of the street showing a sound film has a queue running round the block.

Were there any big changes in Mary’s costumes this time?

The costumes on Downton are as beautiful as ever and Anna Robbins, the costume designer, has once again outdone herself. I really enjoy working with Anna from the first rehearsal to the start of filming because she always finds incredible pieces. She usually manages to go to Paris and fly to different countries to find different pieces but, because of Covid, she couldn’t do that so most of the costumes were bought online. I think she has outdone herself again in these circumstances. I have an original Missoni piece that I loved wearing and there is an original Jean Patou, (a Parisian designer) dress that I loved wearing along with a beautiful Fortuny dress that is a reference to the 1930s even though it is 1928.

Some of the dresses I wear are a little longer because Mary is always one step ahead when it comes to the latest fashion. She also has a new hairstyle and the structured bob is gone and her hair is softer and sleeker and all mine, so it was nice not to have to wear a wig. I’ve really enjoyed this period and it’s my favourite so far – but I’ve probably already repeated it every time it comes up. But it’s true. It’s a nice period with lots of extra colour for Mary, with blues and pinks etc. My favourite evening dress was Patou and my favourite day dress is a green dress that references Violet, which Anna created specifically for this purpose.

Michelle Dockery on Mary’s costumes in Downton Abbey 2

What was it like to be able to go back to work after the last year we experienced?

I feel extremely lucky not only to be able to be back working during the pandemic which is simply the most privileged position to be in, but also, having worked on the TV series since the beginning, I feel even more grateful to be able to be back working in places like Highclere.  It’s added another layer of gratitude for what we all do because it’s been a terribly difficult year for people. To work on something like Downton in such beautiful locations, to be with a crew that are like family and to work with your friends is just magnificent.

To go back to something you know so well, to fall back into it and work with people you love is the greatest privilege. Even though the Covid protocols are very different it’s really nice to get that feeling again. It was difficult to come back all together and it was magical. We were very lucky

Michelle Dockery

Downton Abbey 2 – A New Era is out only in theatres May 20 – here’s a first exclusive look!

Keep following us to stay updated on the world of movies and TV series!!!

Chiara

Don’t forget to visit our Facebook page  Survived The Shows, Instagram @survivedtheshows e Twitter @SurvivedShows to stay updated!