Check out The Chronicles of Downton Abbey:A New Era on Amazon. You can read sections of it there. I was so fascinated I ordered a copy; exquisite photos. Amazing that everything is absolutely perfect, elegant and classy. Also learned that the episodes are not written that far ahead so none of the actors know what’s coming!
Maggie Smith is a jewel—she always has the perfect comback—her nuances are priceless. It’s unfortunate they had to drag Shrilly McLaine thru the landscape. As my father so often quoted “What you are speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you are saying”. The difference is that here the actors have become the characters while ours often just remain themselves and overshadow any role. Betty Davis (who???) was always Betty Davis and Meryl Streep is always herself. Which is why I don’t waste my time seeing her movies—I’ve seen her already.
Agree.
Great actors and actresses become the character and make the audience believe they are the character.
Too may of the modern ‘actors’ and ‘actresses’ are, as you say, portraying themselves, with roles written for them. They are actually personalities, not ‘actors’ and ‘actresses.’
I saw on PBS a thing, the actual owners of Downton Abby. They have opened a shop, rent it out for weddings,etc to help pay upkeep. A lot of it is in shambles. They even use the owners furniture when shooting,interesting. And gorgeous.