The Downton Abbey Cast, Before They Were Stars!
Take the British aristocracy, throw in smoldering glances, bickering sisters, true love lost, along with actress Dame Maggie Smith (and her wealthy character’s indicative and innocent dinner question: “What is a weekend?”) and you have the biggest hit to come out of England since Pippa Middleton put on that bridesmaid dress. As we mourn the end of season four of the PBS Hit Downton Abbey—Snakkle takes a look at the cast of our favorite upstairs, downstairs drama…way before Downton Abbey. By Katherine ButlerWhen Elizabeth McGovern appeared as Lady Cora Crawley, the resounding American reaction was: “Oh, I love her!” and “So great to see her working again!” McGovern hit the Hollywood big time right out of the gate, debuting on film in Robert Redford’s Ordinary People (1980) and following up with an Oscar nod for her role as Evelyn Nesbit in Ragtime (1981). Then she seemed to disappear.
But it turns out, McGovern never went anyway—like Lady Cora, she just moved abroad. After marrying Simon Curtis in 1992, McGovern lived in England and continued to work in several British TV and film productions. But when McGovern first learned of Lady Cora, she didn’t leave her audition to fate. As she told The Daily Mail, “I was such a [Downton creator] Julian Fellowes fan. I wrote him a letter saying, ‘I’m on my knees—I really want to play this part!’”