Roaring Twenties? They were terrible, says Downton star Laura Carmichael

Downton’s Lady Edith says era was awful for women
17 December 2013
The Weekender

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Downton Abbey star Laura Carmichael has admitted there is “no way” she would like to have lived during the Twenties, despite the glitz and glamour of the period.

The 27-year-old actress plays Lady Edith, who was seen at the end of the last series planning to flee the country as she was pregnant and unmarried.

Now set in the roaring Twenties, the show returns for a Christmas special in which viewers will find out what became of her following the disappearance of her lover Michael Gregson.

She said: “Edith is back in a dark place when we see her. She does a lot of crying. And she’s wearing a lot of looser-fitting costumes.”

Only her aunt Rosamund, played by Samantha Bond, and the Dowager Countess, Dame Maggie Smith, are in on the secret.

“You see her having to live with the pressure of two older relatives having this secret of hers. It’s a killer storyline. It would have been completely scandalous for the time,” she said.

“There is no way I’d have wanted to live in the Twenties. It was really crap for women.”

The last series also featured a controversial storyline involving the rape of Anna Bates by valet Green, played by Nigel Harman. The scenes, in which actress Joanne Froggatt was punched in the face before being dragged down a corridor by her hair, caused outrage.

Carmichael, who posed with co-star Elizabeth McGovern for a photoshoot for Grazia, told the magazine: “I still get shocked by the storylines, but I was amazed by the fuss made around Anna’s. After all, it is a drama. I think the reaction was testament to how well Jo did it.

“They shot a lot more scenes than were shown. Nigel was great. He’s so loveable and charismatic normally.

“It was a tough year for the women of Downton, but it’s those storylines that make it such a great show.”

Carmichael said she was looking forward to time off over Christmas — and would be swapping the costumes of Downton for something more casual.

“I am so excited about having time at home,” she added.

“Last year I was doing a play and I only got a day and a half off. I’ll be wearing a reindeer onesie for the majority. Jonathan Ross gave it to me a couple of years ago when I appeared on his show.” The feature-length episode is due to be broadcast at 8.30pm on Christmas Day. It will see the impetuous Lady Rose presented to society with a ball at Buckingham Palace. Shirley MacLaine returns as Martha Levinson, bringing her New York playboy son, played by Paul Giamatti.

The full interview appears in Grazia’s Christmas issue, on sale now. See graziadaily.co.uk for details.

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