An earl-y look at ‘Abbey’
UNTIL THE MASSIVE SUCCESS of “Downton Abbey,” Hugh Bonneville, who plays Robert Crawley, was best known to American audiences as the bumbling Bernie in “Notting Hill” or Iris Murdoch’s young husband in “Iris.” But now he’s the earl of Grantham in the hit Brit series on PBS. Asked to explain the show’s massive global success, the 51-year-old actor (r.) said: “I think it’s one of those very rare things where writing, casting, production values and timing all arrive at the same moment. Also no one can quite define (the show). It’s not a soap, but it is a soap. It’s not a social historical document, yet it does touch into history.” He also gave Confidenti@l a sneak preview of the fifth season, which premieres on Jan. 4. “We’re in 1924 now,” he said. “The embers of romance from Violet’s past emerge, which I think will touch the hearts of a lot of people. As Lady Mary says, ‘So Granny does have a past.’ For Robert and Cora, there are tensions over the horizon in the form of a dashing art historian played by Richard E. Grant. When a dashing artist comes to Downton, you need to lock up your etchings.” Bonneville said that Lady Mary (his daughter on the show) has suitors “circling like vultures,” and she’s deciding which one is she going to throw bits of flesh to. “There’s the usual skulduggery from Thomas and a very touching and painful storyline for him, and the fallout from what happened with Anna from the last season continues. So more of the same, with plenty of laughs and sobs along the way,” he said. Bonneville will also be popping up on the big screen in the new year. He stars with Nicole Kidman in “Paddington,” due in theaters in January.