What kind of mother is Mary?
Michelle Dockery: She's very conscious that she wants to be a good mother. She finds it difficult to relate, to bond with the baby at the beginning because of the grief. Every time she looks at him, she thinks of Matthew. But she's also not the most maternal of mothers, as you can imagine. It's just not in her nature. And also, at that time and the world that she's in, women in the aristocracy didn't really spend that much time with their children. Mary, Edith and Sybil would have spent most of their childhood with the nanny or the governess. They'd see mother after tea, once before dinner or something.
Because you and your brother-in-law Tom Branson (Allen Leech) are both widowed and single parents, will you share many scenes this season?
Dockery: Yes, me and Allen have shared lots of scenes together this year because he is obviously the estate manager, so Mary has a lot to do with Tom Branson because she is also part of that process, taking charge and saving Downton. Because Matthew's death has put a real spanner in the works for the heir, who is too young to be the heir, even though he is. There's a great story line around that.
Is Mary more tolerant of Branson now? Not only do they have to work together, but they share the same grief.
Dockery: Yeah they certainly do. They share the same loss, and also Branson lost a friend. He was friends with Matthew. So there is certainly a bond between them, but there's always that divide between them still, as much as he's been included into the family. He was the chauffeur, so there is still a little distance between them. And he still feels at times uncomfortable being abovestairs and not belowstairs. It's a big adjustment for Branson.
Read full interview at TV Guide
Michelle Dockery: She's very conscious that she wants to be a good mother. She finds it difficult to relate, to bond with the baby at the beginning because of the grief. Every time she looks at him, she thinks of Matthew. But she's also not the most maternal of mothers, as you can imagine. It's just not in her nature. And also, at that time and the world that she's in, women in the aristocracy didn't really spend that much time with their children. Mary, Edith and Sybil would have spent most of their childhood with the nanny or the governess. They'd see mother after tea, once before dinner or something.
Because you and your brother-in-law Tom Branson (Allen Leech) are both widowed and single parents, will you share many scenes this season?
Dockery: Yes, me and Allen have shared lots of scenes together this year because he is obviously the estate manager, so Mary has a lot to do with Tom Branson because she is also part of that process, taking charge and saving Downton. Because Matthew's death has put a real spanner in the works for the heir, who is too young to be the heir, even though he is. There's a great story line around that.
Is Mary more tolerant of Branson now? Not only do they have to work together, but they share the same grief.
Dockery: Yeah they certainly do. They share the same loss, and also Branson lost a friend. He was friends with Matthew. So there is certainly a bond between them, but there's always that divide between them still, as much as he's been included into the family. He was the chauffeur, so there is still a little distance between them. And he still feels at times uncomfortable being abovestairs and not belowstairs. It's a big adjustment for Branson.
Read full interview at TV Guide
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