{"id":14549,"date":"2022-04-28T13:59:50","date_gmt":"2022-04-28T11:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1634556"},"modified":"2022-04-28T14:31:16","modified_gmt":"2022-04-28T12:31:16","slug":"laura-haddock-breaks-down-her-diva-downton-abbey-character","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/laura-haddock-breaks-down-her-diva-downton-abbey-character\/","title":{"rendered":"Laura Haddock breaks down her \u201cdiva\u201d Downton Abbey character"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Lewis Knight\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 28 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Laura Haddock has explained the film history behind her \u201cdiva\u201d character in Downton Abbey: A New Era.<\/a><\/p>\n

The British actress is best known for her roles in television series such as Netflix\u2019s Ibiza-set thriller White Lines and as Megan Cantor in Luther, plus film roles including The Inbetweeners Movie.<\/p>\n

Now Laura Haddock has joined the world\u2019s biggest period drama franchise by portraying silent movie goddess Myrna Dalgleish in Downton Abbey: A New Era.<\/p>\n

Arriving in Downton to star in a new silent picture being filmed on the estate in the film, Myrna\u2019s arrival causes a stir among her fans in the house, including lady\u2019s maid Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt) and assistant cook Daisy Parker (Sophie McShera).<\/p>\n

However, Myrna is not all that she appears to be to the servants of Downton.<\/p>\n

Speaking to RadioTimes.com<\/a>, Laura Haddock discussed her glamorous new role in the film sequel.<\/p>

On joining the machine that is the Downton Abbey franchise, Haddock revealed: \u201cIt\u2019s slightly daunting at first because I\u2019m a fan of the show.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you know, it\u2019s always like, your heart\u2019s pounding before you start any job, but when you\u2019re a big fan of it\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Haddock said she was \u201creally thrilled and really grateful to have got the job, especially on the back of what we\u2019d all just come out of I think\u201d.<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cI remember specifically it was March 8th, International Women\u2019s Day, my agent called and said, \u2018Simon Curtis wants to talk to you about Downton Abbey\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sort of dropped to my knees and was like, \u2018Yeah, my kids have gone back to school. I can go be an actress again\u2019 and the industry is like, you know, chugging away and trying to get us all back out there and then these guys are just honestly \u2013 without sounding too mushy \u2013 they are the best.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey love each other they have such a great chemistry on set on and off-set, you\u2019re an amazing, amazing company to join. So very quickly felt very, very comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Silent film actress Norma Talmadge was an inspiration for Laura Haddock when filming Downton Abbey: A New Era<\/span><\/figcaption> PhotPhoto by John Springer Collection\/CORBIS\/Corbis via Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

While the British actress is portraying a fictional character in the film, Haddock revealed that there were real-life inspirations for Myrna Dalgleish.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of dove deep into my research in and around the actresses that working at that time and all went through this big shift in their career,\u201d noted Haddock. \u201cNorma Talmadge was one that I was really kind of obsessing over.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I learned and realise that a lot of these women, they had maybe a six, seven-year career and then towards the end of their 20s, early 30s, their career was done. That was them. That was it.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, the arc of Myrna in Downton Abbey: A New Era \u2013 which also introduces Dominic West as Myrna\u2019s co-star Guy Dexter and Hugh Dancy as her director Jack Barber \u2013 felt even more important for Haddock considering where the film industry has gotten today.<\/p>\n

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Laura Haddock stars as Myrna Dalgleish in Downton Abbey: A New Era<\/span><\/figcaption> Focus Features<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Haddock concluded: \u201cAnd what was very interesting to me was Myrna\u2019s battle was with finding her voice and accent actually, a lot of these actors and actresses\u2019 battle was learning a language because a lot of them who were the big movie stars of the time weren\u2019t English speaking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo if you\u2019re working in Hollywood, that was, I mean, you done and somebody else was recast. So yeah, I got pretty obsessive about the time and you know, and it informs what we\u2019re doing today. Right?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo it was doubly as interesting to me that I was looking and researching this character, but also it\u2019s cool to know how our careers have progressed in the way that they have because of these moves that the industry made and what the actors within the industry had to put up with.\u201d<\/p>\n