Imelda Staunton is having a busy year! Imelda Staunton is having a busy year! Not only is she starring in ITV's A Confession, she is also set to appear in the upcoming Downton Abbey film, joining her husband, Jim Carter! Chatting to HELLO! and other reporters about joining the iconic household, Imelda opened up about working with Jim on set, and what to expect from her character.
Imelda worked with Jim on the film
Since Jim plays a butler and Imelda plays a Lady, she admitted that they didn't directly have any lines with one another, explaining: "Downton was just luxury, like a nice box of chocolates. Jim and I only worked together for about two days. It was so nice, so exciting. But of course I have been living with Downton for six or seven years… I tried to get the dog in it, no they weren't having [it]." She added: "There was one or two scenes in the dining room [with Jim] - but he was right over there. I was like. 'Erm, hello?!' He was so far away."
Imelda will be a new cast member on Downton
Revealing details about her character, she revealed that she had some "sparring" with Maggie Smith's character, Lady Crawley. She added that she and Jim never discuss their work in their home lives, saying: "We don't talk about roles, I never talk about it… It's not intense working with him."
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The Downton Abbey film, which will be released on 13 September 2019, also sees Tuppence Middleton join the cast as Imelda's maid, Lucy Smith. Chatting to Harper's Bazaar about joining the original cast of the popular ITV drama, she explained: "You do sort of worry, going into something as big as this, that that it will be cliquey, or the fans won't accept you, and that any number of things can go wrong. But it was so welcoming, and everyone was glad to see some new faces, and for these new characters to come in and affect the lives of some of the beloved characters that have been in the show for years. It adds fresh energy to it I think."
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