Yahoo News Ella Purnell on how she's going against stereotypes in Julian Fellowes drama Belgravia
Ella Purnell says she went "against the stereotype of a 'period drama' woman" to create a confident character with agency in Julian Fellowes' new six-part series Belgravia, set in 19th century London.
The 22-year-old actress revealed that she's been influenced by the recent emergence of period dramas which celebrate women overcoming the misogynistic conventions of their time.
Purnell plays Lady Maria Grey in the anticipated drama, which centres on the nouveau riche Trenchard family, who accept an invitation to a ball hosted by the Duchess of Richmond on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, setting into motion a series of events with dramatic and long-term consequences, as secrets begin to unravel.
Disclosing that filming for Belgravia wrapped this week, the Ordeal by Innocence star told Digital Spy: "I think for me, what was important with this role is I wanted to play a fresh version of this woman from this period...
"I wanted her to be grounded and intelligent and ahead of her time, and I wanted to play against the stereotype of a 'period' woman. There's a huge upping of period dramas at the moment with some really incredible confident women – such as Gentleman Jack and Greta Gerwig's Little Women.
"I love where they're going with it, so I really wanted to contribute to that and that movement of positivity."
Purnell added that while it's understandable that fans will associate Belgravia with Fellowes' award-winning ITV drama Downton Abbey, the former stays close to Fellowes' novel from which it is adapted. And there hasn't been talk of any follow-up series just yet.
(Downton Abbey, of course, enjoyed a six-series run, and a film version will be released later this year.)
"It's quite difficult to not attach the two – [but] the difference with this is there's no guarantees of lots more seasons," she explained.
"In terms of storyline, because Belgravia is so close to the book, I don't know how much room there is in differentiating or changing it."
Purnell stars alongside Alice Eve, who plays Susan Trenchard, the beautiful daughter of a successful merchant, while Episodes actress Tamsin Greig stars as Anne Trenchard.
Phillip Glenister will play businessman James Trenchard, while Downton's very own Dowager Lady Shackleton – aka Dame Harriet Walter – will star as Caroline, The Countess of Brockenhurst in the new series.
Fellowes will be working with Gareth Neame, Liz Trubridge, and Nigel Marchant on the new series, all of whom were executive producers on Downton Abbey. John Alexander will direct the limited series with Killing Eve's Colin Wratten as producer.
Meanwhile, the Downton Abbey movie has dropped its first full trailer ahead of the film's release on September 13 in the UK and September 20 in the US.
Purnell can be seen reprising her role as Tess in season two of Sweetbitter, which begins on StarzPlay on Sunday (July 14).
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