Category Archives: ukfilm

Downton Abbey Star Michelle Dockery Opens Up About Alternative Ending To Final Film

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This article contains spoilers for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.

Those who’ve already taken the cinema trip to see the last Downton Abbey movie The Grand Finale will know that its final moments are the most tear-jerking of the entire film.

After finally taking over at the head of her family’s estate, Michelle Dockery’s character Lady Mary ends the movie by taking a look around the house and reliving old memories, featuring some familiar faces.

But during a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Michelle admitted that this ending almost never came to be.

“There were a couple of versions of the ending,” Michelle said. “There was another version where you saw Mary go back to work, she goes into the library and she sits at her desk.”

She continued: “They decided to end it on the tribute to [Dame Maggie Smith], which I think is the best ending. I always felt that it was the right way to finish.

“[Mary, Cora and Robert] are saying their goodbyes and I think that’s for the audience – this feeling of moving on and saying farewell to each other. But in reality, Mary’s not alone. She’s in the house with various other people, of course, all the staff. She’s got family members who are going to be coming and I think it looks forward to the future. It feels quite hopeful.

“I also like that at the end of this story, Mary ends up as a single woman. There’s a new chapter ahead of her, she’s happier, and she’s excited to take the reins and become the lady of the house.”

Michelle Dockery with her Downton Abbey co-stars at the premiere of The Grand Finale
Michelle Dockery with her Downton Abbey co-stars at the premiere of The Grand Finale

via Associated Press

Michelle also shared that to help capture the emotion of the moment, the director played the Downton Abbey theme tune on set while shooting the final scene, although she admitted this made it difficult for her to stay in character and not “burst into tears”.

Her co-star Hugh Bonneville recently told HuffPost UK that the scene took him by surprise, as it didn’t appear in the script, only seeing it for the first time when he and Michelle had a preview in an editing suite.

“I clutched her hand because I didn’t see it coming – and suddenly, there’s 15 years of your life,” Hugh recalled. “It’s such a great moment, and unexpected.”

He was also full of praise for the ending, claiming: “[It’s] quite cathartic, and it just feels completely right. This is a good way to end the story, the handing on to the next generation.”

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is in cinemas now. Read Michelle Dockery’s full interview with The Hollywood Reporter here.

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Hugh Bonneville Casts Doubt On Return To The Paddington Movies

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During a recent interview with The i Paper, Hugh – who can currently be seen in action as Robert Crawley in the third and final Downton Abbey movie, The Grand Finale – admitted that the Earl Of Grantham might not be the only franchise role he’s played for the final time.

But while the British actor thinks it’s unlikely he’ll return as the iconic bear’s adoptive father, fans need not worry that this means the films are done altogether.

“I’m sure they’ll want to make more but no one is indispensable,” he said. “I think I’ve probably had my last dance on that one because I’m getting a bit old now.”

HuffPost UK has contacted the Paddington team for comment.

The W1A star, who will turn 62 later this year, last played the hapless Mr Brown in 2024’s Paddington in Peru, in which the much-loved bear returned to South America after his Aunt Lucy went missing.

If Hugh’s prediction turns out to be true, he wouldn’t be the first Paddington actor to leave the franchise.

At the time, Sally said in a statement she “felt the right time to hand the reins over to another” actor, and “one can’t get much better than” Emily.

The Oscar nominee later claimed that she had made the decision not to return as she didn’t want to do a Paddington film without director Paul King, saying it “would’ve broken my heart” to do the movie with someone else.

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Jennifer Lopez Recalls Very Blunt Feedback After Trying Out For This Huge Movie Musical

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Despite her success as both a chart-topping singer and award-winning actor, Jennifer Lopez had never actually merged the two together and appeared in a big-screen musical until she landed her upcoming role in the new film Kiss Of The Spider Woman.

However, she’s revealed that wasn’t for lack of trying.

J-Lo has previously spoken out about how she has tried out for roles in various musical films over the years, and during a recent Q&A after a screening of her film, she reflected on her audition for the 1996 movie adaptation of Evita.

“I went in to audition for Evita, for Alan Parker,” she recalled, referring to the late six-time Oscar nominee who helmed the film. “I had been practising for weeks, and I sang my heart out. And he goes, ‘you’re amazing’.”

Unfortunately, his feedback didn’t end there, as he then told her: “You know Madonna has the part, right?”

“I said, ‘OK, bye bye. Nice to meet you’,” Jen then concluded.

Indeed, it was J-Lo’s fellow pop icon Madonna who played Eva Perón in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber, earning the Like A Prayer singer her first Golden Globe win.

Earlier this year, Jennifer also revealed how she tried out for a part in the film version of Chicago, as well as “getting very close” to being cast in Nine.

“There were a lot of things that I had always hoped that I could do and just wasn’t the right time. But this is the right thing,” she said, referring to her role in Kiss Of The Spider Woman.

Madonna in Evita
Madonna in Evita

Cinergi/Kobal/Shutterstock

Kiss Of The Spider Woman was directed by Bill Condon, who has previously helmed Dreamgirls and Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty And The Beast, as well as co-writing the film versions of Chicago and The Greatest Showman.

The new movie sees J-Lo playing fictional screen diva Ingrid Luna opposite Tonatiuh and Diego Luna.

Watch the trailer below:

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