Downton Abbey III adds to cast
Feeling a bit neglected this week given the premiere of Sherlock on PBS (which, btw, premiered to an amazing 3.2 million viewers not including DVR or online viewing), Downton Abbey is back in the news this week with a bit of an update from the filming of series 3. In addition to the already well-documented news of the addition of Shirley MacLaine to the cast, other names are starting to surface which may hint at the direction the storyline is taking.
According to Digital Spy, the most recent additions to the cast are Ed Speleers (Eragon, Love Bites, Echo Beach) will play a footman named Jimmy, Cara Theobald and Lucille Sharp who will play maids and War Horse star, Matt Milne, who has also been added as a footman who’s also the nephew of the is-she-or-isn’t-she-evil lady’s maid O’Brien.
Speaking of Shirley MacLaine, who plays the mother of Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern), evidently, she charmed the cast during filming the last several months.
Penelope Wilton, who can be seen in the upcoming Best Exotic Marigold Hotel with Dame Judi Dench and Bill Nighy and plays Isobel Crawley, recently told Vulture, “Shirley was wonderful“. She’s so marvellous. She’s in the first two episodes, and we loved her.” Wilton also revealed that MacLaine “fell in love” with her co-star Jim Carter (Carson).
“She thought he was heaven. How could you not?” laughed Wilton.
Not that this will hold you until the UK premiere in September 2012 or the U.S. premiere in January 2013, but we’ll try to satisfy the separation anxiety every chance we get. Cheers.
