‘We have much more fun downstairs than that lot upstairs!’
As we get ready for Downton Abbey to hit the big screen, star Phyllis Logan talks to Nathalie Whittle about the joys of playing housekeeper Mrs Hughes, what really happens on (and off) set and the perks of love later in life
Downton’s Phyllis Logan talks to Prima
Phyllis, 63, lives in west London with her husband, actor Kevin Mcnally, 63, and their son, David, 23.
DRAMA AT DOWNTON
When the TV series of Downton Abbey ended, I was an emotional wreck. The final scene for my character, Mrs Hughes, and the rest of the downstairs cast was us toasting in the New Year by singing Auld Lang Syne. Well, that got everyone going for a start! But then Jim Carter, who plays my screen husband, Mr Carson, made a speech and, midway through, started tearing up. I looked behind him and saw the crew sobbing: we all lost it after that. I remember going back to my trailer to take my wig off and Lesley Nicol [Mrs Patmore] and Sophie Mcshera [Daisy] were at the bottom of the stairs looking a bit sad. Two minutes later, we were all in a huddle crying again!
Getting to the point where the film is actually happening has been quite a rollercoaster. We’ve all spent the last three years in limbo; waiting for a script, waiting for everyone to be free at the same time. Until I arrived on set and the first pay cheque had gone into my bank account, I didn’t believe it was going to happen!
Coming back together with the cast felt like a school reunion – in the best possible way. We were all invited to do a read-through at a London
‘I was an emotional wreck when the TV series of Downton ended’
studio and the atmosphere was incredible. It felt like we were settling back into our family again, as we all caught up on what had been happening in each other’s lives, met the guest stars Imelda Staunton and David Haig, and discussed the film’s storyline.
Any nerves or apprehensions anyone had seemed to disappear.
I’ve been warned not to let the cat out of the bag, but I will tell you that the film revolves around a visit from the King and Queen, which ruffles some feathers.
The royals come with their own entourage, which causes friction between the resident staff of Downton and the newbies. Let’s just say it’s not all welcoming them with open arms and open hearts… there might even be a bit of plotting going on!
BEHIND-THESCENES SECRETS
For a pretty dowdy role like Mrs Hughes, my hair and make-up routine takes longer than you might think. My wig takes the longest. First, all my own hair gets pinned up, then they put a stocking over my head to ensure it’s as flat as possible before the wig gets put
into place – it's serious precision work. Then I get my slap on, which is minimal: a dusting of colour to even out my skin tone and a hint of blush so I don’t look like the walking dead. Maybe, if I’m nice (or use bribery and corruption), I’ll get a little bit of colour on my eyebrows.
I’m sure the brief the team follow is: make her look worse than she does now!
I look around and see Elizabeth Mcgovern [Cora Crawley] and all the ‘glam’ lot getting their false eyelashes put on and think, ‘What have I done to deserve this?’ The plus side is that I don’t have to worry about looking perfect all the time – and that’s quite liberating. Particularly for us women, expectations are so high to always look great. In real life, I would never be seen without make-up on, but there’s none of that with Mrs Hughes.
My character still wears a corset and it's the one thing I didn’t miss when the TV show ended. Though it’s almost worth putting one on for the relief of getting it off after 12 hours of filming! The one I wear in the film was made for me in season three and – much to my disappointment – they dug it out of storage. My motto is: no pain, no gain!
I’m sure that Elizabeth Mcgovern and Hugh Bonneville [Robert Crawley] tell everyone they have more fun ‘upstairs’, but I think us lot downstairs have the better deal.
You might not realise that we don’t film many of the downstairs scenes at Highclere Castle – most are done in a studio and, let me tell you, it’s a lot less stressful! At the castle, you can’t sit in certain places, you can’t touch things, you can’t put anything on the furniture. Whereas in the studio, there’s not that onus on you to be minding your Ps and Qs.
And since I’m much less prim and proper than Mrs Hughes in real life, it suits me pretty well! You can’t beat the banter on set. Brendan Coyle [Mr Bates] and
Rob James-collier [Thomas
Barrow] are the stand-ups of the show. We’ve had many moments where someone has burst out laughing mid-scene and it’s all, ‘Sorry, can we go again?’ Then you have Jim, who is like Daddy Bear – he’s the godfather among the downstairs troops. And I get on with Lesley like a house on fire. I pretend to be this made-up character called Lavinia, which sets Lesley off laughing and she’s always saying to me, ‘Don’t, I need the toilet, please stop!’
Between filming, you’d find us all in Jim’s dressing room.
He has the biggest room because he’s 6ft 2in, and he always throws open his doors so we can use it as a green room. You’ll bump into someone on set and say, ‘Are you going down to Jim’s later?’ and of course they are! He often has the drinks ready for when we wrap. What’s the secret to still being on screen at 63? Nobody’s found me out yet! I feel very fortunate to have been able to sustain a career over 40 years, and if I’m honest, luck plays a part in that. I still have a burning passion to act and don’t want to stop until it goes away.
I’ve learned to step outside my comfort zone once in a while. When Downton ended, I thought, ‘What on earth do I do now?’ In the end, I decided to do a Noël Coward play. Then other things started cropping up – a part in ITV’S The
Good Karma Hospital and my role as Linda Hutchinson in Girlfriends. Exciting things happen when you start taking risks.
There’s still more to be done, but women my age are becoming more visible in this industry.
Producers and programme makers are finally starting to realise that we 50-plus women have a lot to contribute. Just look at Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith.
Acting was all I was interested in from a young age, but it was never considered a ‘serious’ career choice. I grew up in Johnstone, Scotland, and my parents both worked from the age of 14, so they were perplexed when I told them I wanted to go to drama school.
I’m sure my dad thought the whole thing was very pretentious.
Sadly, Dad passed away before I graduated, so he didn’t get to see any of my success.
That was incredibly tough. It’s hard not to have been able to share it with him, but I’m sure he’d be very glad to know that it wasn’t a foolhardy career choice after all. And I hope he’d be quite proud.
My role as Lady Jane Felsham in Lovejoy will always be one of my favourites. I did tell a bit of a fib to get
‘I still have a burning passion to act and I don’t want to stop yet’
the part, though! The character was described as a bit of posh totty, so – don’t ask me what I was thinking, it was my first big job, after all – I decided to hide my Scottish accent in the audition and pretend I spoke in a posh English one. When they offered me the job, I couldn’t keep up the pretence, so I confessed to the producer, Robert Banks Stewart, and he said, ‘Oh, I thought you were just taking the mickey in the audition.’ Turns out I didn’t fool anyone!
FINDING LOVE UNEXPECTEDLY
My husband, Kevin, is the great love of my life – though I didn’t actually like him at first! We met on a small acting job and my first impression was: what an arrogant idiot. Funny, but bloody arrogant! He slowly won me over and we got on all right for the remainder of the job, but it was only around a year later that our paths crossed again. We got chatting at a party and the rest is history.
I was in my late 30s and although I’d had relationships before, I didn’t think long-term love was on the cards. Kevin proposed on Christmas Day, and I didn’t see it coming at all. He arrived at Mum’s house very flustered and the first thing he said to her was, ‘Excuse me, Betty,
I’m going to have to take your daughter upstairs to give her a Christmas present.’ Not the best choice of words! He presented me with a ring, but there was no getting down on one knee or speech. So I said, ‘That’s beautiful, which finger shall I wear it on?’ His initial response? ‘Whatever one you like.’ Then he took my hands and said, ‘I’ve never wanted to marry anyone before until I met you.’ And on went the engagement ring!
I think the secret to making it work is making sure you go away from each other every now and again. Kevin’s an actor, too, and people say, ‘How can you bear it that he’s away for a month for work?’ Well, I think there’s actually a lot to be said for not being in each other’s pockets the whole time. It keeps the spark alive because you’re so looking forward to having that grand reunion. And I have to be honest, it’s lovely having the bed to myself for a bit!
MUM’S THE WORD
A lot of women say, ‘I always wanted to be a mum,’ but that wasn’t the case for me. My focus was my career and I thought it was too much responsibility. But things changed when I met Kevin.
I was 40 when we had our son, David, and being that age was a good thing. Kevin already had a seven-year-old daughter, Rachel, and stepson, Peter, so he had some experience of parenthood, and I often had my nieces and nephews to stay, so I wasn’t completely clueless. It also meant that we were reasonably stable in our careers and mature enough to juggle work with bringing up a baby.
It would have been nice for David to have a younger sibling, but it didn’t happen and that’s okay. I feel lucky enough to have our wonderful blended family. There were challenges when I was getting to know Rachel and Peter, but we worked it out and it's splendid now.
TIME FOR ME
Unlike Mrs Hughes, I really enjoy cooking. Sundays are often spent in the kitchen making a roast for the whole family. I like to think most things I cook are at least palatable!
I’m naturally quite lazy and can potter about for days on end.
A perfect day is waking up with a cup of tea, sitting out in the garden, and having a mooch around the local shops. If Kevin’s been away, he’ll usually get home and say, ‘Right, I’m taking you out for dinner.’ Now that’s a treat.
• Downton Abbey is released in cinemas on 13 September.
‘I feel lucky to have our wonderful blended family’