Peter Egan has revealed the time he had an encounter with legendary actress Maggie Smith years before working with her on Downton Abbey.
Peter played Hugh “Shrimpie” MacClare, the Marquess of Flintshire, in the ITV period drama between 2012 and 2015.
Dame Maggie played Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the show – who became a fan favourite for her brutally honest attitude and hilarious quips.
Harry Potter legend Maggie won tons of critical acclaim for her time as the socialite – including three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.
(Image: TV Grab)
Peter spoke exclusively to Daily Star at the Mirror’s People’s Pet Awards in November – where he spoke about life on the stunning Downton set.
He also recall the time he saw Maggie before he eventually worked with her on the beloved British show – and what he thought of her acting skills.
Asked what it was like meeting someone like Maggie, Peter was full of praise for his fellow thespian.
He replied: “Amazing. Oh it’s sensational.”
(Image: Carnival Films)
He said: “Well I mean I adored her when I was a student. When I was a student I used to go to what was my local – the National Theatre – and I’d see her playing these great parts at the National Theatre. I was a student.
And I thought ‘god what an actress she is, she’s sensational’. Yeah, great.”
And then I renewed my work acquaintance with Dame Penelope Wilson. She’s one of our greatest actresses, so it was wonderful.”
Dame Penelope played the widowed Isobel Crawley on Downton – but Peter previously worked with her on the BBC sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles between 1984 and 1989.
(Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Peter also offered an insight into his day-to-day work on Downton – which apparently involved him getting up at five in the morning to work on set until 7pm.
However, he did say that the cast would sometimes find a minute to meet up at the bar if they were sharing a hotel on location.
When asked if the cast ever got to meet up or have dinner, Egan replied: “No, no. Because if you’re filming you’re generally up at five in the morning to be on set at eight, and you probably finish at seven at night.
(Image: © 2010 Universal.)
“So if you’re on location together and sharing a hotel you might have a drink in the bar but then you’re into your room with your script every night and you’re up the next day.
He added: “It’s a hell of a life!”
Egan is also known for a number of other TV roles – such as George IV in Prince Regent, Hogarth in Big Breadwinner Hog and smooth neighbour Paul Ryman in Ever Decreasing Circles.
When asked if he had any rituals, he said: “There’s only one ritual I go through all the time and that’s: learn my lines!”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
