Downton Abbey’s Mrs Hughes tells Over60 what it was like wrapping up season 6
It was only a week ago that Australia said goodbye to the hit British drama Downton Abbey, but one of the show’s stars has hinted that we haven’t seen the last of the Crawleys and the Downton staff. We sat down for a chat with Phyllis Logan, who played beloved housekeeper Mrs Hughes.
The relationship between Mrs Hughes and Carson was a focal point in the final two seasons. Were you surprised that the relationship was such a hit with fans?
I suppose I was, Jim [Carter, who plays Carson] said everyone kept asking, “When are you and Mrs Hughes going to get together?” I was like, “get together? That’s how you talk about the youngsters of the show, not two old fuddy-duddies like us,” but it’s amazing how people seemed to be drawn to wanting them to develop a relationship. I mean, they had a very nice relationship as it was, they had great mutual respect.
Did you see the relationship coming at all?
Not really, I thought “nobody’s interested in post-middle-aged love”, but obviously they are, so it’s quite encouraging.
What was it like during the final days of filming?
Well, a lot of us finished on the same day, the people in the servants’ hall, and there was a whole big scene and it just happened to be our final day. So all of us – Sophie McShera [Daisy], Lesley Nicol [Mrs Patmore], Raquel Cassidy [Miss Baxter] Joanne Froggatt [Mrs Bates] and myself – were like, “Oh, it’s going to be so emotional,” and Jim was batting us off saying “Don’t be so ridiculous, it’s just like any other job, you know, it comes to an end, and yeah it’ll be sad, but you know…” And we were kind of dreading it, but when it did finally come to an end Jim was the first one to crack up, because he made a sort of speech for the crew, and two of the crew members who had been with us since the year dot were hugging each other, inconsolable, and that got him going. And then after we’d all said goodbye to the crew, the girls met outside near hair and makeup and had a big group sob for about 20 minutes.
You clearly have a great relationship with the other cast members, have you gotten to see them much since the show ended?
Yes, yes I’ve seen quite a few of them since we finished up. Lesley is currently in LA and I was there for a while, as was Joanne, so I caught up with them. I saw Jim and Sophie recently, and Hugh (Lord Grantham) and Laura (Edith).
Is there anything you would have liked to see happen or are you happy with how the series wrapped up?
I was thinking, “how is Julian [Fellows, the show’s creator] going to end it?” and when I read the final script, I got quite emotional and I thought, “actually, this is probably as good as he could make it.” So I was pleased and I don’t think there was anything necessarily that was overlooked, apart from – Lesley would say – that she ordered up a boyfriend and never got one. She would’ve been satisfied with a dog but she never even got one [laughs].
There have been a lot of stories recently about actors like Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep speaking out against ageism in the entertainment industry. What are your thoughts on it all? Have you had any challenges like that?
It’s difficult to quantify it really, I mean obviously one does feel that as you get older the parts are fewer and there is certainly in Hollywood a huge pressure for women to look 10, 15, 20 years older than they really are in order to keep the momentum of still having a career, whereas, you know, why don’t we all grow old gracefully? There’s less pressure for men, it has to be said, but there is still pressure for them too.
What’s next for you? Do you have anything in the works?
Well I might be embarking on doing a bit of theatre. I haven’t been in the theatre for several years. I’m looking forward to getting back into it but I’m a bit daunted as well. It’s tough, being in the theatre. People think you just breeze in and you’re only working nights but you only get one take. At least you do get another shot the next performance, that’s what’s so lovely about it, you think “that was crap last night, oh I must try that tomorrow.” But you know, you start thinking about it hours before you’re due in the theatre, especially matinee days, and the amount of energy you have to give is tough.
There have been talks of a movie, is that something you’d be interested in getting involved with?
Oh, why wouldn’t I be? If they want me in it, I think it would be lovely to have one last hurrah, wouldn’t it?
Is there anything you would want to see happen?
We could have a baby. We could adopt… we could adopt Thomas [laughs]. I would like to see Daisy, for example, doing something rather magnificent or finding romance, because you know she’s been in widow’s weeds for quite some years now since William died during the First World War so I think she’s due, and she’s still young so she’s due for a nice love match.
The sixth and final season of Downton Abbey is available on Blu-ray and DVD on Thursday.
Image: ITV
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