‘Downton Abbey’ chauffeur Leech moves to ‘Bellevue’

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Inspiration comes from odd sources. For actor Allen Leech, who played the Irish chauffeur who worked his way into the family on “Downton Abbey,” inspiration rose from what he calls “the depths of hell.”

After graduating with a master’s degree in theater and drama, Leech was doing OK. He made a couple of movies and landed some theater work, and thought he’d really scored when he was cast in HBO’s “Rome.” But afterward he didn’t snag another acting job for two years.

“I didn’t want to quit, but I wanted to make it easier,” he says in his lilting Irish brogue. “I worked in bars and restaurants. I became that old adage: ‘I’m an actor.’ ‘Oh, yeah, in what restaurant?’ I wasn’t good at it. It was a means to an end,” he says.

Another of his odd jobs involved operating “a high-powered jet to get rid of foliage in drains. My brother at the time ran a company. So I’d clear out sewers and things. I did it for one winter and thought, ‘This is possibly the worst thing in the world.’ I wasn’t badly paid, but it’s because you’re going into the depths of hell. It was bad,” he shakes his head.

Those kinds of jobs only fortified Leech’s resolve to be an actor, he says. “It certainly made me more determined to have to do it. It gave me a greater appreciation of what is the real world. My brother, who is CEO of a company, whenever I go into his office, I think it’s the most depressing place in the world. I describe it as ‘where dreams go to die.’ He obviously disagrees, as many people would.

“The same people say, ‘I could never be an actor.’ I could never do what my brother does or my sister. My younger brother is a pro golfer, so I say ... my parents, after they got the first two through business school and great jobs, they’re like, ‘You want to be an actor? You want to play golf? See you later.’ You wear them down,” he laughs.

After “Downton Abbey,” things proved easier, says Leech. In fact, he’s costarring on WGN America’s eight-part thriller “Bellevue.” Leech plays the on-again-off-again ex of the detective (Anna Paquin) who’s assigned to solve two illusive mysteries in a small Canadian town.

Leech, 36, says he’s always been a bit of a rebel. “I was 8 years of age going around a corner on my brother’s bike. I wasn’t supposed to be on that bike and wasn’t supposed to be going around that corner. I’d done it eight times, and I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to do it one more time.’ I did that, and I was fine. Then I said, ‘I’m going to do it one more time.’ And I went around the corner, and a car hit me, slammed me into a wall and shattered both my legs,” he recalls. “Only because I was on my brother’s bike and higher up. If I’d been on my bike and lower, I would’ve been squished. I’ll never forget my mom’s face because she ran up and found me on the ground.”

Leech was hospitalized for eight months recovering. But the experience provided a valuable lesson, he says. “What I learned from it is to go with your gut. I knew I shouldn’t have done it the 10th time.”

The County Dublinborn actor is still surprised by the popularity of “Downton Abbey.” “The opportunity it’s afforded me! I went to the White House and met the Obamas. That was pretty cool. I sat in Windsor Castle, and they’re lovely moments.

“But for me, it’s when people come up and say, ‘I watched that religiously with my mom.’ It’s brought generations together. Or someone will say, ‘My daughter, we always kept those episodes.’ Those are the moments I love. And I love that in the U.S., people will dodge traffic to tell you how much they loved the show. And in the UK, they’ll do the same thing. They’ll dodge traffic to tell you they didn’t watch it.”