Downton Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern says she feels more like a musician than an actress as her career as a singer takes off.
McGovern, 52, who plays Cora, the Countess of Grantham, is in the studio recording her third album with her jazz/folk band Sadie And The Hotheads. She then plans to play a series of venues across the country.
McGovern did not take up music until she was 42 but says she is increasingly thinking of herself as a musician. “Downton is very much a part of who I am. Because experience really is so important in any field, but the more time I put in the studio the more I feel than I’m a musician.
“It is an opportunity for me to express what is me instead of a written character. It’s made me happy, much less frustrated. It’s been something that’s been a really nice way to connect for me.”
But she admits the touring schedule puts a strain on her husband, film producer Simon Curtis, 53, and their daughters Matilda, 20, and 16-year-old Grace.
She told the Standard: “Life on the road is a world away from Downton, it really is just a van, Travelodges, late nights with red wine and laughs. My husband really makes an effort to get to wherever we are. He has been great. I’m so grateful because I think it’s a big adjustment for him. It’s not what he signed up for when he said ‘I do’.
“The greatest moment in my life was when we played the Montreux Jazz Festival this summer. My kids get fed up with my constant rehearsing, and I was really pleased that they could see what is now a big part of what I do. ”
Sadie And The Hotheads play at the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square on November 14, 21 and 28.
