Niece of 'Downton Abbey' creator gives fans a glimpse behind the scenes
The advice Jessica Fellowes received from her uncle, Julian Fellowes, holds true for the upcoming finale of his popular television show, "Downton Abbey."
"You always want to leave a party when people are sorry to see you go."
With the sixth and final season underway in the U.S., viewers are certainly sorry to see the British drama wrap up, Jessica Fellowes said Sunday at the College of DuPage McAninch Arts Center. But as Fellowes gave hundreds of "Abbey" fans a glimpse behind the scenes, she assured them that her uncle, the show's creator, will leave them satisfied as it comes to an end.
Fellowes, a British journalist and a New York Times best-selling author, has written companion books detailing inspirations behind the PBS series, which follows an aristocratic family and their servants in the early 1900s.
During her discussion Sunday in Glen Ellyn - her first visit to the Chicago area - Fellowes shared anecdotes about the cast, tidbits about the set and some insight into the amount of effort that went into maintaining historical accuracy.
"The level of detail the art department would go through on set to make sure every little detail was correct was remarkable," she said, also noting the importance of the on-set historical adviser.
For Union resident Martha Sarnecki, who has been an avid "Abbey" fan since it first aired in the U.S. in 2011, Fellowes' illustrations of the show made it even more appealing.
"There are all these details and behind-the-scenes things she brought to my love of the show," she said. "We hate to see it go."
The event, sponsored by the MAC, the College Lecture Series and the Daily Herald Author's Circle Book Club, also included English treats and a book signing by Fellowes in the lobby after the discussion.
"We're mixing theater, literature, history, television and giving everyone the inside scoop on the story and how it was created," said Diana Martinez, director of MAC. "We want to connect the community with culture."
Fellowes said her uncle had real-life inspiration for several "Downton Abbey" characters and events. Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith), for example, is based on Julian Fellowes' great-aunt - an educated, upper-class woman - and his grandfather's lady's maid was the inspiration for Miss. O'Brien (Siobhan Finneran).
The upstairs women, Jessica Fellowes said, represented those who had to take on more responsibility during and after World War I. "He wanted each of them to represent what was going to be happening to upper-class women in the years to come," she said.
Even the death of Turkish diplomat Kemal Pamuk (Theo James) in Lady Mary's (Michelle Dockery) bed was based on a diary entry, written by the great-great aunt of Julian Fellowes' friend, she added.
Throughout the series, "Downton Abbey" gained so many followers because of how easily fans could relate to its characters, Fellowes said. Though set more than a century ago, she said, its themes remain significant: family, societal change, character evolution.
"No matter who we are, we can understand and relate to that," she said.