DO COME IN!
IN RESIDENCE AT DOWNTON
Jim Carter’s Downton Abbey
Your first time here, I’m guessing?” is the opening line from one of the world’s most famous butlers. He’s right. There’s nothing quite like that moment you step into Highclere Castle, the setting for Downton Abbey. Just one overexcited gasp from us gives it all away.
“I see it all the time,” says Mr Carson, alias actor Jim Carter, with a laugh. “To me, it’s just the office.”
The residence is actually lived in (hence why only a few rooms are used to film in and the rest is recorded in a studio) and even Jim seems puzzled to see it minus its finery, with plastic sheets over all the carpets, and without the TV crew and cameras. In fact, when we get taken on a tour of the castle, he’s jealous.
“You shall be searched on your way out to see if you’ve sneakily popped anything in your bag,” he says with a wink.
So why is he back in the office? After years of rumours, it has been confirmed that a Downton Abbey film will be out this year. Not only will Jim (70) be back playing the indomitable Carson but his wife, Imelda Staunton (63), stars in it for the first time.
In the flesh, Jim is funny, friendly and chatty, and insists on showing us a secret cupboard in one of the walls that was once used to store ancient Egyptian artefacts. It’s odd to see him out of the butler get-up, in casual jeans and a white shirt. Even his top button is open (gasp!)
When we finally get him to sit down – in the actual drawing room (squeal!) – he talks about married life, finding fame later in life and that little Downton
Abbey movie…
Is it nice to revisit Carson?
“Yes, and very familiar. After three years, it was funny coming back to do the film. The second the costume comes back on, it’s like it never ended.”
There are some amazing costumes, but Carson is always in the same outfit...
“I know – it’s my forever look. But I have no costume issues; I was delighted I never had to change. Easy peasy. I have one look for day, one for night (white and black tie) and a few suits for going into town. But
I’m happy with that. Some of the women, however, had a lot of frock envy.”
Who felt that the most?
“Poor old Sophie McShera
[who plays maid Daisy] was feeling jealous of the girls upstairs, bless her. But series one was 1912. The film is set in 1927 and the women’s fashions have changed so much. The clothes are extraordinary for them, to be fair. No change for me, mind you.”
What do you think is the secret behind the Downton effect?
“It’s impossible to say. Who’d ever have guessed it would be so successful? But it’s nostalgic, romantic, and touches on family and friendships. Plus, there are 15 main characters, so people say to me, ‘I love Lady Edith’, or ‘That Thomas is horrible, isn’t he?’ So everyone finds something they enjoy. Mainly Carson, let’s face it.”
Was he the role you wanted?
“Shortly after I was cast, I bumped into another
actor of my generation and he said, ‘ You swine! You’ve got the only old man’s part in it.’ I thought ,‘ Thanks very much!’ But really there was one oldperson role and I got it. It hadn’t occurred to me until then.”
How was it working with your wife in the film?
“It was so funny and out of the blue. Imelda said, ‘ You’ll never guess what script I’ve just been sent.’ I couldn’t believe it. But she took the role because she liked it, not because of me. It wasn’t like she was playing my wife in it – imagine! We had two days filming together in the dining room and zero interaction. It was nice.”
She’s upstairs and you’re downstairs. Is this a reflection of life at home?
“I said to her on set, ‘If you think I’m serving you wine here, forget it.’ It happens at home, not at work. I’m practically her butler at home as it is.”
You’ve been married 35 years – what’s your secret?
“A sense of humour is essential. We were best friends before we were married and we’ve stayed best friends. There’s no-one else I’d rather do things with. We look after each other. It’s ideal.”
We hear you love dinner parties with your famous friends...
“Well, Imelda is a fantastic cook. I’m in charge of setting the table and sorting the wine. I do all the washing up too.
I’m a butler, duh.”
Would you make a good real-life butler?
“I’d be rubbish. I’m reasonably old-fashioned because of my age, so I admire politeness and manners – but the formality of it all? It’s so rigid. I’m such an informal person that I couldn’t do it. I’d think, ‘Come on, I know you’re posh, but you can feed yourselves! Just get on with it.’”
You turned 70 last summer – how does it feel?
“It’s just a number, but if I see in the paper, ‘70-year-old gets knocked down’, I think, ‘God, poor old fart’, then I think, ‘Jesus, that’s me!’ It’s a significant number, but it doesn’t change anything. I won’t retire, anyway. I’ll just carry on until I can’t remember my lines and start bumping into the furniture.”
You actually hit fame quite far into your career…
“I’d been acting for 40 years before Downton and people faintly recognised me. But it pushed us all hugely into the spotlight. It even changed for Maggie Smith. I remember her saying she could go to the supermarket easily before
Downton and now she gets recognised the second she leaves her house. But it’s different at our age. Our jobs don’t define us. For those youngsters in it, it’s a double-edged sword to be so successful so early on. If you start at the top, where do you go next? (Sorry, I got a bit philosophical there.)”
If you hadn’t gone into acting, what would you have done?
“I love gardening. There were greenhouses at Downton I used to love to pop down to. I’d stare out of the window at them, longingly. The gardens would take a while to tend to. ‘Just off to cut the lawn, love, see you next year!’ That wouldn’t go down well.”
What’s next for you?
“I’m not very ambitious, you know. I just do what I do and hope for the best. But if I’m working with fun people and having a nice time – which I have done for the past 48 years – I’ll be a happy man. If it’s successful too, then woo-hoo for me.”