Noble Acts
She may be just the right mix of nice and ice on Downton Abbey, but the woman who bewitches as Lady Mary has her feet on the ground and a song on her lips by LESLIE GORNSTEIN / photographs by PERRY OGDEN / styling by GRACE COBB
Leave it to Downton Abbey to bring out everybody’s inner dowager. “Lady Mary,” a British reporter recently swooned over the show’s leading female character. “Those fabulously arched brows, the porcelain features...the dark-eyed sensuality of her tryst with the Turk. There was surely not a dry eye in the land when she was spurned by cousin Matthew at the end of season one, for snootily, foolishly dithering over his marriage proposal.”
Pass the smelling salts, old girl! Then again, it’s tough to discuss the work of Michelle Dockery, who revisits the role of Lady Mary Crawley for a second season on PBS’ Masterpiece starting Jan. 8, without lapsing into such swoony prose. Brits already know Dockery from a few hit projects in the U.K., but for us Yanks, Downton has provided a formal introduction, if you will. And the result, particularly with “Downton groupies,” as Dockery lovingly calls the show’s devotees, is something close to obsession.
Yes, her expressive geisha eyebrows and snowy complexion do conspire in a pleasing fashion, as Mary’s grandmother Violet might say. But then there’s Dockery’s almost acrobatic range. Lady Mary’s inner circuitry is a delicate tangle of vulnerability and high-handed bitchiness most 30-year-old actors couldn’t easily pull off—at least not with the chilly reserve expected of a World War I–era blueblood. If Dockery played Mary a touch crueler, she’d alienate the audience; any more relatable, she would cease to seem the eldest daughter of an earl.
Dockery doesn’t just balance all of those moving parts, she practically pirouettes on her own taffeta high wire. When Britain’s Daily Mail noted that she is not, in fact, a prickly aristocrat but rather the approachable daughter of working-class parents, it did so in the spirit of surprise: “What’s an Essex girl doing at Downton Abbey?”
Like any savvy actor, Dockery credits her show’s creator, Julian Fellowes for her character’s depth: “At first I loved Mary’s hardness, but as the series went on, she started to soften. It’s like all of Julian’s characters—they’re never one-dimensional but rather so rich with personality.”
Still, good writing can’t explain away Dockery’s electric ability to captivate and piss us off at once. That knack hasn’t been lost on Americans. If her own experience is any indication, 2012 is shaping up to be her biggest year yet on both sides of the Atlantic.
“I stumbled across a café in Greenwich Village,” she says of a trip to New York last year. “I ordered some food, and the couple next to me were talking about Downton Abbey—two random New Yorkers! I just sat there, having such a wonderful feeling. As they got to up to leave, one of them turned and said, ‘Congrats on the series.’ It really hit me then what a huge phenomenon the show has become.”
Lady Mary’s inner circuitry is a delicate tangle of vulnerability and high-handed bitchiness most 30-year-old actors couldn’t easily pull off—at least not with the chilly reserve expected of a World War I–era blueblood.
And what Dockery has become along with it, of course. Like many a British actor, she had a classical-acting education, training at London’s Guildhall School of Music & Drama. She trod the boards for years before slipping into Mary’s overtightened corset, tackling everything from Henry IV to Pygmalion.
In 2006, she anchored a telly adaptation of the Terry Pratchett fantasy Hogfather, playing the redoubtable Susan, granddaughter of Death and the savior of Pratchett’s doolally version of Christmas. “Impressive newcomer,” the Guardian sniffed.
And since Downton, the world has Dockery fever. Even the Wall Street Journal has taken to detailing her passion for fashion, including a taste for sweeping Burberry gowns and Victoria Beckham’s designer label.
All helping to forge an identity apart from Lady Mary. “There’s always a danger of wearing a floor-length gown to an event and having it look like a dress I wear in Downton,” she muses.
Brits, meanwhile, have begun to follow Dockery’s other love—jazz singing. The press now routinely reports where and when she is appearing. (That was her at last year’s London Jazz Festival, channeling Peggy Lee in a live version of “Sans Souci.”)
“It’s much more exposing than acting,” she says. “It’s me up there—I’m not playing a part. I like the nerves and the adrenaline that go with that. It’s the same with my acting. I like to do things that really challenge me, rather than pick things that are easy.”
And along with the obligatory Facebook page and Downton groupies are fan-generated blogs like F--k Yeah Michelle Dockery, which proclaims itself “a celebration of all things Michelle.”
Not that Dockery lets such things go to her head. Dan Stevens, who plays love interest Matthew Crawley, says she may drip in jewels onscreen but is still more downstairs than upstairs.
“She’s really a very down-to-earth girl,” he says. “Not the person you’re going to see falling out of a nightclub steaming drunk. Yes, there are now people out there who spot someone from Downton Abbey and say it’s worth stopping and taking their picture, but Michelle herself is still very much feet on the ground.”
That trait should serve Dockery well, especially now that Hollywood has taken notice. After last year’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it part in Hanna—as a CIA agent who gets offed by Saoirse Ronan—its director, Joe Wright, has called on her again, this time for his take on Anna Karenina, starring Keira Knightley and Jude Law.
Look for Dockery among the nobility.
PRODUCTION: Gawain Rainey / 10-4 Inc. London
HAIR: Ben Jones / Jed Root
MAKEUP: Kelly Cornwell / Premier Hair and Makeup
MANICURE: Adam Slee / Streeters
Categories: Celebrities / Culture / Feature Story / Photos / Pictorials / Television
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I am the person who runs F**k yeah michelle dockery! Thank you so much for including my blog in your article!
Posted by: Heather | 12/30/2011 at 03:08 PM
I certainly felt the 'ticked off' aspect of her acting, but the charm wasn't there for me. I'll watch the next set of episodes, but sort of our of a duty to BBC, which does tend to make viewers feel somehow obligated to stick with their historical shows. I'd like to feel positively towards any of the female characters but so far only Matthew's mother connects with my modern sensibilities of what women could be when they have the freedom and power to be themselves.
Posted by: Mattie | 01/02/2012 at 09:09 AM
headline writer--how about imperious??
Posted by: bill copeland | 01/02/2012 at 07:45 PM
Must agree with a previous poster. If there was anything likable about her character, I missed it. She was wholly self-centered and heartless. Nor do I see any beauty in her face - only professional makeup. However, the actress played her role very well, as did all the performers in the series. Not every character needs to be nice to be interesting.
Posted by: Terrils | 01/03/2012 at 11:22 AM
Thank you, Bill Copeland. I'm not sure even "imperious" describes her. She's just sort of headstrong.
Posted by: MikeFarrell87 | 01/03/2012 at 08:31 PM
The actor who plays Bates--Brendan Coyle--not a single mention of him. He's simply fantastic. Dockery is fine, but Coyle is amazing.
Posted by: GMiki | 01/04/2012 at 09:32 PM
The fact that the comments here are so split is a testimony in and of itself of how damn good she is in the show. Thoroughly looking forward to seeing what she does next.
Posted by: TB | 01/08/2012 at 04:23 AM
Agree with GMiki, Brendan Coyle is great but the are several of the oher actors. The butler, the main cook, Miss Obrian...and My ladys personal maid...obsolutely evil.
Posted by: David | 01/09/2012 at 03:59 AM
I was tickled when I saw her on Downton Abbey and recognized her from Pratchett's delightful "Hogfather", where she played Susan Sto-Helit, Death's granddaughter.
I kept expecting her to use The Voice at Downton. :)
Posted by: Gilda | 01/13/2012 at 12:16 PM
I am absolutely and passionately in love with this woman..she has that transcending quality to captivate with her beauty, talent and grace..The entire show is wonderful and she makes the evening even more outstanding. Thank you, one and all.
Posted by: Andrew Masset | 01/14/2012 at 04:36 AM
This show is absolutely fabulous! It's so wonderful to be able to sit back and watch a well written, beautifully acted story such as this one. I'm hooked and will be looking for more BBC programs.
Posted by: Lisa | 01/17/2012 at 05:47 PM
My mother wants her drapes returned. You can keep the drawing room wallpaper.
Posted by: Rich | 01/19/2012 at 01:00 AM
What is wrong with you people??!! This woman is stunningly beautiful amazingly talented and i want to marry her immediately!!! I guess i'm a bit smitten..I love her work and the entire cast!! Brilliant show!
Posted by: Andrew Masset | 01/19/2012 at 04:00 AM
I want to pet her, talk to her, she is beautiful, talented, amazing
Posted by: Aaron | 01/19/2012 at 04:28 PM
Bravo!
Thanks for this fun & insightful article (+ the pics) which give us a glimpse at the real life actress.
Michelle's part in DA is the 'best of the best' (supurbly written, executed & directed) and Michelle plays this excellent part to the fullest, adding layers of depth all her own. Bravo!
Michelle (+ Maggie Smith & everyone in the cast) bring DA to a whole new & satisfying level. Everyone shines in DA!
Michelle - Come to Washington DC and play the KC Jazz Club at the Kennedy Center. We'd love to hear & support your jazz talent too!
Cheers, pwb
Posted by: Patrick Brown | 01/26/2012 at 09:40 AM
Downton abbey's success should be attributed in large part, to Michelle Dockery's ability to portray grace, strength and more than a little haughtiness--all in perfect measure. As for her looks, she has a refinement and rarity that's impossible to compare to any one of those fake siliconed oompa loompas you see running around LA--she actually appears to have a brain, elegance and class. This coming from a straight woman--she's amazing. Keep up the good work Michelle!
Posted by: Ellen | 01/27/2012 at 02:09 PM
I while away the weeks and my
days til it again it's Sunday.
I also count the days til Thursdays
so I can see the latest on Doc Martin. Come on America, you can
do better.
Posted by: Norma | 01/27/2012 at 03:08 PM
The show is not produced by the BBC. It's an ITV show.
Posted by: Martin Gabriel | 01/28/2012 at 01:00 PM
I absolutely adore her portrayal of Lady Mary. The fact that she can provoke hatred and admiration from the audience speaks to her range and level of talent. The entire cast is stellar. What a terrific show we are lucky to be following. Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Rocco | 01/31/2012 at 11:53 AM
I find her performances to be riveting. The longer I watch this show, the more I appreciate just how talented she is. Considering she is surrounded by excellence, that is a testament to her achievement as Lady Mary.
Posted by: A Facebook User | 01/31/2012 at 12:12 PM
Great article. Keep writing about this show! I have to admit, I love Lady Mary, in all her dimensions. She kind of grows on you, and before you know it, you can't help but root for her. She reminds of Jackie Kennedy sometimes, always a bit calculating, always stylish, always on guard. I am quite obsessed with Downton Abbey and the whole cast. Everybody deserves a write up, the fans can't have enough.
Posted by: Cristina | 01/31/2012 at 03:59 PM