Michelle Dockery has got us even more excited about the upcoming series of Downton Abbey as she hints at the things in store for her character Lady Mary.
The 31-year-old has spoken to Harper's Bazaar about the dramatic end to series three, in which her character's husband Matthew Crawley was killed in a car accident.
She admitted: "I was in floods of tears" when she read the script for the tragic Christmas special.
She told Harper's Bazaar that, despite this she is really excited that it has "opened a door of opportunity for Mary".
This will likely refer to the suspected new love interests that have joined the cast.
Welsh actor Tom Cullen is one of Downton's latest recruits with many suspecting he may appear as a gentleman suitor.
Michelle also explained the intense relationship she has with her job and this dream role she was given.
She said: “There’s a part of me that doesn’t want it to end, because I love it so much and once it’s all over, I’m sure there will be a period when I feel slightly at a loss.
“It’s like this love affair that I have with my job.”
Having said that she is adamant that she does not allow her new found fame to overwhelm her or cloud her judgement.
At 31 she knows how to handle the pressure: "It’s very easy in this business to take things a little too seriously or yourself too seriously, and I grew up learning how to laugh at myself.”
In the show she plays one of the three Crawley sisters and attributes her own sisterly bonds to her understanding of the role.
She said: "There was this thing: don’t mess with the Dockery Sisters.
"I think when we’re together we can be quite, not intimidating, but quite a force.”
Downton Abbey writer and creator Julian Fellowes gushed over her ability to create the character of Lady Mary.
He said Michelle: "was able to demonstrate that curious mixture of cold exterior with the hint of deep feeling and sexual allure that for me, at least, takes one back to the giants of my youth: Ava Gardner, Audrey Hepburn, or Grace Kelly, the ultimate icon of fire wrapped in ice".
Well we can only imagine how steely she'll be in mourning for Matthew - bring on series four!
Full interview appears in the August issue of HARPER’S BAZAAR, on sale 4th July. Also available as a digital edition.
© David Slijper for Harper's Bazaar
Pictures courtesy of Harpers Bazaar, photos by David Slijper.
