Revealing the upstairs-downstairs way of life, Downton Abbey wowed its audience with a dynamic
portrayal of the Crawley family and their help.
But it should come as no surprise that the actors don't look like their characters 24/7.
Here's what the stars of Downton Abbey look like in real life.
Laura Carmichael
Middle sister Lady Edith Crawley was played by Laura Carmichael, And according to the
Radio Times, fans immediately pegged her as the ugly one.
"But I don't want to be invisible, either.
I've had enough of it."
She shared,
"It was really funny opening the newspaper and reading the reviews and going, 'Oh, I'm
playing the ugly one.'
I hadn't thought of that."
But this perception changed over the years, and Carmichael eventually became noted more
for her character's status rather than her looks — even off camera.
She said,
"People ask me to go horse-riding and things.
I have to say, 'I'm not really posh, I don't own a horse, I don't know how to do it.'"
Michelle Dockery
The actress who played Lady Mary Crawley has a similar real-life look to her character.
Carmichael told the Radio Times about fans' obsession with Michelle Dockery's role, saying,
"I've watched people talk to Michelle like she's the queen — she's Lady Mary."
Since the series finale, Dockery's taken on a very different role in the show Good Behavior.
Comparing her new character to Lady Mary, Dockery told Vanity Fair,
"They are very different, and I think it may shock some people, and that's all right.
I don't mind shocking people."
"You came.
To be honest, I wasn't completely sure you would."
"I'm glad to hear it.
I should hate to be predictable."
Hugh Bonneville
Thanks to his character, Robert Crawley, Bonneville will most likely be the Lord of Downton Abbey
for the rest of his life.
"You make it sound very serious."
Since the show's end, he has continued to act, but tells ET Online,
"I'm enjoying semi-retirement, staring at my garden...I just look for characters and
stories that are entertaining and quirky to fill the gap between now and the grave."
"Nothing's the matter.
What should be the matter?"
Joanne Froggatt
"I'm Anna, the head housemaid."
As a lady's maid, Froggatt's character Anna Bates wore little makeup.
The actress explained why, telling Allure,
"Being a lady's maid...you'd never want to be seen competing with your employers...They
had to dull down my hair, my face...Just foundation and a tiny bit of blush."
But she had glam plans post-shoot, telling the mag,
"When we finish the series, the first thing I do is go get my spray tan, go get my nails
done, because I don't get to do any of that for six months.
I'm quite a girlie girl myself."
Robert James-Collier
Thomas Barrow, a butler who believed he was better than his fellow company downstairs,
was played by Robert James-Collier
"Your ladyship, may I have the honor of this dance?"
The character and the actor may look very similar, but their outfits of the day are
definitely not.
During an interview with The Guardian, James-Collier came in wearing, "a lumberjack shirt, skinny
jeans and Converse."
The upstairs would be appalled.
Phyllis Logan
Head housekeeper Mrs. Hughes was played by actress Phyllis Logan, whose off-screen style
is quite a bit more modern than her on-screen look.
And while Mrs. Hughes was one for rules, Logan is all about breaking them.
She told the Washington Post,
"Because I came from a small town outside Glasgow, nobody from my school had ever gone
into the acting profession...You joined the bank or became a teacher or whatever you did."
Thankfully, she did what she did.
Otherwise she might have been stuck selling toasters or something.
"What in God's name is it?"
"An electric toaster.
I've given it to myself as a treat."
Jim Carter
Charles Carson was the butler at the Crawley's estate.
"Hello, this is Downton Abbey.
Carson the butler speaking."
And while actor Jim Carter may not wear his hair slicked back like he did on the show,
he's easily spotted as the fan-favorite character.
He told The Telegraph,
"I get recognized quite a lot.
I mean, walking over Westminster Bridge, from the south side to the north side, a Chilean
family who didn't speak any English, an Indian family...and a French family in the space
of 150 yards — that was fairly amazing."
Elizabeth McGovern
The lady of the house, Countess Cora Crawley, was portrayed by Elizabeth McGovern.
And aside from the period-themed outfits, McGovern's on and off-screen looks don't differ
much.
"Mrs. Patmore, is there any aspect of the present day that you can accept without resistance?"
"Oh, my lady.
I wouldn't mind getting rid of my corset."
Commenting on playing an older female character, the 56-year-old actress told The Sun,
"I don't see myself as middle-aged...I feel exactly the same as when I was 18, except
with more confidence and more of a secure grounding under my feet.
I feel better.”
Sophie McShera
As Daisy Mason, actress Sophie McShera's transformation into her character meant skipping the makeup
— and being told to not wash her hair.
She described her character to The Standard, saying,
"She's a complete dogsbody, the lowest of the low.
And I have to have all this eczema put on my hands and dirt under my nails when she's
been doing the fires."
"Oh my Lord.
What was this chopped egg supposed to be sprinkled on?"
"Was it the chicken?"
"It was.
Take it upstairs now.
For heaven's sake, get a move on girl!"
However, McShera puts a positive spin on her looks, saying,
"I'd hate to be really beautiful on telly and then have everyone go, 'It's all make-up
and lighting.'"
Lesley Nicol
Actress Lesley Nicol played the ultimate kitchen boss, Mrs. Patmore.
And while the cook of the house would never be found in makeup, Nicol herself shines on
the red carpet.
Though being stuck in a kitchen all day isn't glamorous living, Nicol wouldn't have it any
other way.
She told Parade,
"I wouldn't swap her for the world."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"No.
'Cuz I've never felt more relieved in all my life!"
[Laughter]
Brendan Coyle
Another dead ringer for his character, Brendan Coyle will always be John Bates to fans.
"But be aware.
Nothing is over, and nothing is done with."
The actor has since gone on to many roles, mainly in film, including the adaptation of
the book Me Before You in 2016.
Maggie Smith
Dame Maggie Smith so completely became her character that she's essentially Violet Crawley
herself.
"I'm so looking forward to seeing your mother again.
When I'm with her, I'm reminded of the virtues of The English."
"But isn't she American?"
"Exactly."
But she doesn't share everything with the dowager countess.
While Crawley is stone-faced, Smith is warm and congenial.
And candid, revealing to CBS just how much she hated her character's corset.
"I did cheat a bit.
Because I promised that if I sat up, bolt upright, I would look as though I were wearing
corsets."
Lily James
Budding superstar Lily James saw her career take off once she landed the role of Lady
Rose MacClare.
"You mustn't be so self-conscious."
"A black singer with the daughter of a Marquess in a North Yorkshire town?
Why should we attract any attention?"
"Well, that's their problem.
It doesn't have to be ours."
The actress has since hit the big screen, in films like 2015's Cinderella and 2017's
Baby Driver.
And James' ability to physically disappear into her roles means she's not always instantly
recognizable off-screen.
She told The Independent,
"I look quite different on camera to how I look in the flesh.
Some people have such unique faces or such a strong look that you can't help but notice
them.
I don't think I'm really like that."
Dan Stevens
Actor Dan Stevens famously left Downton Abbey in a blaze of glory when his character, Matthew
Crawley, met an untimely end back in 2012.
"But you can't leave Downton."
"I can't stay.
Not now."
But even after playing the iconic role of Beast in Beauty and the Beast, the actor is
still being hounded by devastated Downton fans.
He told The Mirror,
"I'm still apologizing to people now.
The way Matthew went was out of my hands–but it was rather shocking.
There were some very upset people and I've had to apologize to a lot of ­people over
the past four years."
But hey.
What happens in Downton Abbey bloody stays in Downton Abbey.
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