Michelle Dockery on the End of Downton Abbey

You know and love her as Lady Mary Crawley on Downton Abbey. As the series begins its final season, starting in the States January 3 on PBS, London-born Michelle Dockery, 34, looks back at how the last six years have changed her life.

Is it hard to say goodbye to Lady Mary and your DA castmates?

It feels very strange to be saying goodbye to something that has become such a huge part of our lives. We are like a family. I loved the character and I loved playing her, so I will be sad.

What can you tease about the final season?

It begins with Mary very much in business mode. She has taken over as estate manager, much to Violet’s [Maggie Smith’s] dislike. Violet hasn’t quite gotten used to the fact that her granddaughters are working women. Her love life is quiet until Henry Talbot arrives, played by Matthew Goode. Mary’s story is quite complicated, which I like and wasn’t expecting.

What is it like to work with Maggie Smith?

Any scenes I do with Maggie are always magic. I still pinch myself sometimes [that I’m] playing her granddaughter.

What has playing Lady Mary taught you?

One of my favorite lines is: “All we can do is travel hopefully.” It has really stayed with me. She is very rational in her thinking. She is practical. I like her honesty, even though she speaks before she thinks, sometimes, particularly with Edith [Laura Carmichael]. There’s lots I will take with me.

You’ve done some singing. Now that Downton Abbey is done, will you have time to do more?

I would love to. It is finding the time. I feel like with singing, it is something I should dedicate some time to. Acting has always been the main thing for me.

Who are your musical influences?

I love Joni Mitchell and Melody Gardot. I am into all kinds of music, like Beyoncé.

Do you think fans will be satisfied with the ending of the series?

I hope so. There are surprises and twists and turns. Hopefully, it will exceed people’s expectations and they will be content, but it won’t be what they’re expecting.

You’ve been acting for 11 years professionally now. If you could tell your younger self something, what would it be?

Fasten your seat belt! It’s going to be a ride. Get ready for it. I wasn’t prepared for it. It was like overnight.

Was there a moment when you realized everything had changed?

I remember this flat in London that I lived in, going down to my news agent across the street on a Sunday morning, and the first episode had aired the week before, and there was this whole spread advertising the second episode, and there were the three of us sisters on the cover of the Telegraph. I just stood there staring at it in disbelief. Then I bought my pint of milk and the paper and that was it. Everything changed.

Downton is aired in around 100 countries. Can you still have a normal life?

Yes. London is very fast. It’s like New York. There’s such a buzz about it. People are going about their way. I still get the tube and people don’t notice. It depends where you are. If you are in places where people expect to see famous faces, then you’re recognized more. And when the show is on, you’re more recognizable, of course.

You are doing a pilot for a new TNT series Good Behavior, scheduled for release next year. It is set in modern times. Did you want to do something different?

To be honest, it wasn’t something I was actively looking for. It just happens to be very, very different. I also did a play: Liaisons Dangereuses. That was the first thing I knew that I was going to do. Then the pilot came up and from the first opening lines of the script, I couldn’t put it down. Blake Crouch and Chad Hodge are just phenomenal writers. They work so well together. The books were based on Blake Crouch’s The Letty Dobesh Chronicles. It is just such a fantastic role. It is another complicated woman, so there is a pattern there maybe. They are just very different.

What is on your to-do list?

A play was on my to-do list, so I feel very fortunate that that has worked out. I just want to continue to work with great stories, play interesting characters, keep mixing it up and challenging myself as all actors hope to.