With Alessandro Nivola set to tread the halls of Downton Abbey, the actor opened up about how his new character fits into the universe and on reuniting with former co-stars for the production. While the series concluded in 2015, the historical drama was followed by two movies that continued the story across 2019 and 2022, with a third movie announced in May 2024. Nivola is best known for his roles in Face/Off, Mansfield Park, Selma, The Many Saints of Newark, and most recently appeared as Attila in the cast of The Brutalist.
As Nivola sat down with ScreenRant to discuss his role in the upcoming comedy Fantasy Life at SXSW, the actor gave some early details on his arrival at Downton Abbey for the upcoming movie. The actor was both nervous to join the existing cast and excited to reunite with co-stars Hugh Bonneville, Dominic West, and Paul Giamatti, with Nivola revealing that his character is a long-time acquaintance of Giamatti’s Harold Levinson. Check out Nicola’s full response below:
I don’t play a Brit for once. I’m not playing a Brit in Downton Abbey. I guess on paper, it’s a tricky ask to come into that cast because they’ve all been working together for 15 years, and they are like a family. But I had the benefit of having my own personal history with a lot of the people who were in it, like Hugh Bonneville, who was in Mansfield Park with me back 20 some years ago. Dominic West is an old family friend and had starred in my wife’s series that she directed, The Pursuit of Love.
And then Paul Giamatti, who I really have a double act with in the movie, I’ve known since I was about 17. I was an undergrad at Yale when he was at the Yale School of Drama, and we were in a bunch of plays together, and then his kids went to the same school as my kids, and we’ve just known each other a long time. And then on top of all that, we both played the Rhino in two different Marvel universes.
It really was joyful entering into that world with them. I really will be executed if I tell you anything too revealing, but Paul and I are both Americans. He’s the brother of Elizabeth McGovern’s character, Cora, and lives in New York. I’m one of his carousing drinking buddies, and we come back to the house at the beginning of the movie.
Could Health Woes Reunite A Family?
First mentioned in Downton Abbey season 3, Giamatti’s Harold is described as a playboy whose work sees him working on the development of boats, though it wasn’t until the 2013 Christmas special that he made his full debut. Striking up a relationship with Madeleine Allsopp (Poppy Drayton) during a visit in 1923, and would be unknowingly used in a plot involving a poker game distraction, before leaving for a family European tour. As such, it is unclear how the character will return in the upcoming movie fifteen years after his last appearance.
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Downton Abbey’s Crawley Family Tree Explained
Downton Abbey has six seasons and two movies, following the lives of the Crawley family at Downton through changes, scandals, love, and heartbreak.
With Drayton not among the currently-announced cast, it is likely that Nivola and Giamatti could play more into a story involving Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern) herself, given the actor’s explicit mention of the character. While Cora was diagnosed with Pernicious anemia in the second movie, it was stated that her condition was treatable. As such, a potential Levinson family reunion could be instigated by her ongoing treatment for the disease.
Our Take On Nivola’s Downton Abbey Reveal
The Final Movie Will Be A Farewell To The Series
As Downton Abbey‘s third movie has been described as the final installment, it is likely that the movie will be more focused on providing a conclusion to the stories of the longtime characters as opposed to new inclusions and plots. With this, Nivola’s quote seemingly suggests that at least his own casting was to create a character who could support an existing figure, in this case being Harold. With details being few about the final Downton Abbey movie ahead of its release, many may wonder which other longtime characters will be supported by new additions.
Downton Abbey
- Created by
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Julian Fellowes
Summary
“Downton Abbey” is a British historical drama set in the early 20th century, following the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants. The series, created by Julian Fellowes, explores major historical events and societal changes. It became a cultural phenomenon, known for its intricate storytelling, and expanded into feature films and other media.