Michelle Dockery is a far cry from her Downton Abbey character in new photos released by Netflix. The actress, best known for playing Lady Mary Crawley, is set to star in new western drama, Godless. Michelle, 35, will play the role of hardened widower Alice Fletcher alongside Jeff Daniels and Jack O'Connell.
The first photos from the seven-part show have been released, showing Michelle in full costume. The TV star looks every inch the western widower, dressed in a long black skirt, beige blouse, cowboy hat and bandana. The English Rose brandishes a rifle in the photos, and one action shot shows Michelle and her fellow co-star running through the dirt terrain.
Michelle plays widower Alice Fletcher in Godless
Michelle returns to work following death of fiance John Dineen
Godless will be released on Netflix on 22 November. The show follows the story of notorious criminal Frank Griffin, played by Jeff Daniels, who, alongside his gang of outlaws, is on a mission of revenge against Roy Goode, played by Jack O'Connell. Roy goes on the run and ends up in the isolated mining town of La Belle where he seeks refuge with hardened widower Alice Fletcher, portrayed by Michelle, an outcast herself. When word reaches that Griffin and his gang are on their way, the town – governed mainly by women – must band together to defend themselves in the lawless western frontier.
She stars opposite Jeff Daniels and Jack O'Connell
In an interview with Vogue in May, Michelle spoke about her latest cowboy role. "The first thing we all did when we arrived was to go on cowboy camp," she said. "I remember when I shot a gun – the adrenaline was crazy. On Downton Abbey we had the shooting parties, but the women just stood back and wore a nice outfit and assisted the men. People are calling it a feminist western. It was a joy to work with so many women."
Michelle shot to fame playing Lady Mary in Downton Abbey. When the period drama came to an end in 2015, the actress set her sights on the US. She has since been playing Letty Raines on TNT's Good Behavior and will feature on Netflix's Godless later this year.
