Behind-the-Scenes: Unexpected Friendships

Life imitated art on the set of Downton Abbey. During their time on the hit ITV show, the cast and crew forged a tight-knit bond that mirrored the familial relationships of the Crawleys themselves.

In the same way Edith watched her sister Mary walk down the aisle, actress Laura Carmichael served as Michelle Dockery’s real-life bridesmaid at her 2023 wedding to Jasper Waller-Bridge.

Interestingly, Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern, who played Robert and Cora Crawley, are equally close off-screen and often organize “reunion suppers” whenever they can.

Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael hit it off right away. “Laura and I are both from a family of three sisters,” Michelle shared. “She’s the middle and I’m the youngest, so there was kind of an instant sisterhood when we first met.”

“We’ve grown up together in a way. I mean, it’s been six years. I was 27 when I started the show, and we bonded very, very quickly,” she continued. Michelle added that they have a lot of fun with their characters. “We are elated when we read a page with a stand-off between Mary and Edith – it’s more fun for us to play… We’ve always got a bit bored when they’re nice to each other.”

In September 2023, Laura even stood by Michelle’s side as her bridesmaid at her wedding to film producer Jasper Waller-Bridge. Photos from the ceremony, held in Chiswick, West London, show Laura helping Michelle with her train as they left the venue.

More recently, Laura and Michelle reunited on the set of Downton Abbey 3, where they were seen filming scenes at Ripon Racecourse in North Yorkshire.

Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern have collaborated on three projects. Apart from Downton, they appeared together in the TV movie Thursday the 12th (2003) and the 2008 series Freezing.

Regarding their friendship, Hugh previously commented, “We have had a couple of reunion suppers and we get together occasionally. Elizabeth and I have been married three times in three different TV shows. So we are close.”

Michelle Dockery and Allen Leech have also maintained a close friendship over the years. Allen even introduced Michelle to her late fiancé John Dineen.

“John’s like family to me, and I knew he’d really get on with Michelle,” Allen said. “She’s a great girl – probably as far from Lady Mary as you could imagine.”

Though John sadly passed away in 2015 due to cancer, Allen was there to support Michelle when she married Jasper Waller-Bridge eight years later.

Allen is one of Michelle’s biggest supporters. In 2022, he shared a heartfelt post celebrating their work together. He penned a sweet caption with a photo of Michelle and their co-star Michael Fox, praising their talents in music and acting.

“It’s only two of my favorite people who just happen to have the most wonderful voices, songwriting abilities, can play loads of instruments, really good dancers…” he wrote. “Well, Michelle is a really good dancer…and Michael, Michael is a really strong swimmer!” He also added, “But this song is beautiful!”

Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton have shared the screen several times. Besides Downton, they appeared in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Speaking to Mail Online in 2022, Penelope, who plays Isobel Grey, joked about their time on set. “Maggie gets all the best lines!” she said.

“With Maggie, you need to be on your game to hit the ball back at her. I said to Julian [Fellowes]: ‘Can I at least win one of the arguments?’ and he said: ‘No.'”

Penelope loves working with Maggie. “I enjoy my spats with Lady Grantham enormously,” she shared. “Maggie and I love those scenes so much.”

Sadly, Maggie Smith will not be appearing in the next installment, as her character Lady Violet Crawley passed away in Downton Abbey: A New Era.

Source: Mail Online, Saga