Downton Abbey to Cast First Black Character
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(Image Source: iTV)
BY KERRY LEARY
ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA
Attention all Downton Abbey fans, followers and friends... rumor has it... there may be a new character making a debut in the next season. And this character will be a first for the period drama.
The Sun reports the hit series will feature its first-ever Black character in the fourth season. According to the casting notes, they’re looking for a male, “25-30. A musician (singer) at an exclusive club in the 20s. He’s black and very handsome.”
The description also calls for a “real man” (not a boy) with charm and charisma. Sounds like the perfect guy. The show has been all about class struggles in 20th-century England until now -- this would bring race relations to the table. Slate says, here here.
“...some viewers have been critical of the show’s rather limited color spectrum...This is familiar territory in today’s world of television ... Mad Men has similarly been accused of whitewashing the past ... He may be just what [Downton] needs to stay fresh going into its fourth season.”
Of course, “Mad Men” doesn’t have quite the same isolation factor as Downton, which focuses mostly on the goings-on in one house. This new character’s name will be Jack. Gawker draws a parallel between the newly-casted character and a real-life doppelganger — albeit in jest.
“But what will be Usher's role at Downton itself? Will he be a love interest for cousin Rose, whose curly hair denotes that she is a wild flapper? Will he replace Mrs. Patmore as Downton's cook? Just how far will Daisy's eyes bug out of her head when she sees a black person for the first time? Will he marry Lord Grantham?”
We may not know the answers to those questions... but we DO know he will play a key role in the show’s fourth season... as will another rumored new character... The Daily Mail reports.
“Lady Mary Crawley will also reportedly get a new love interest in the form of Lord Anthony Gillingham, who also helps the family with their money woes, so could be a big hit with Mary's father, the Earl of Grantham...”
Lord Anthony is described as “good looking” and “very charismatic.” According to the Daily Mail, it is rumoured that this part has already been given to EastEnders and Miranda star Tom Ellis. But Unreality TV has a different idea...
“...earlier this month, we reported … Tom Ellis ... had been lined up to play the part, but were soon quashed when it was revealed that Ellis...would instead be playing Victor Frankenstein in a new US horror series, Gothica, instead.”
As the rumors fly, we do know one thing is confirmed. The filming for Downton Abbey’s fourth season begins March 23.
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