Mamma Mia!
Lily really is related to co-star Streep
LILY James has proved to be the perfect casting as the young Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. And not just because the Downton Abbey star spent months studying the Oscar winner’s performance as Donna Sheridan to make sure she got the part just right. Unbeknown to the producers of the Abba musical, they kept the role in the family – because we can reveal the two actresses are distant cousins. Lily, 29, and Meryl, 69, share a British ancestor in Henry Howland, the 12th great-grandad of former US President George HW Bush. Howland, who is buried in Fenstanton, Cambs, had sons Henry Jnr and John. Henry Jnr was New Jersey-born Meryl’s eighth great-grandfather and John was Lily’s 11th greatgrandad through her late dad Jamie Thomson. It makes Meryl and Lily ninth cousins, three times removed. Surrey-born Lily already knew she was a sixth cousin of George Bush Sr through paternal grandmother Helen Horton. But her link to Meryl may come as a shock, as she was so starstruck working with the Hollywood legend that she cried while waiting for their first meeting. She has said: “Meryl was singing this song in a chapel and it was so emotional. “I was sat outside knowing I was about to meet her, and crying. It was terrifying.” Producer Judy Craymer has said of Lily’s turn in the film: “She immersed herself. “She brings that young Meryl character in such a strong, aggressive and beautifully acted way.” The stars are yet to comment on news of their family link.