Laura Carmichael has said she hopes the Downton Abbey film will not shatter the image left with viewers when the series came to an end.
The popular ITV series ended in 2015 with an episode that aired on Christmas Day.
The film screenplay has been written by the show’s creator, Julian Fellowes, and will see the original principal cast including Hugh Bonneville and Dame Maggie Smith returning.
Carmichael, who plays Downton’s Lady Edith Crawley, told the Radio Times that being reunited with her co-stars was “so much fun, we had such a dreamy time”.
She said: “It’s much quicker doing a film than eight episodes of a series, so it felt like a holiday with mates. It was nostalgic.
“All of us always felt that if Julian Fellowes wrote it we’d do it, we’re so fond of our characters and what that job did for all of us.
“We really care about it and have a lot of affection for it. We hope it’s not destroying the image we left you with”.
The last episode of the TV series saw Lady Edith finally get her happily ever after as she married Bertie Pelham (played by Harry Hadden-Paton).
She will next be seen on the small screen in historical drama The Spanish Princess, which is inspired by the novels penned by Philippa Gregory.
Asked if she thought the situation for female writers and actors was changing for the better, she said: “We’re now saying, ‘Hang on, this script isn’t representing the world we live in!’
“We still have a long way to go and I’m always livid if I hear anyone say we’re going too far in terms of hearing women’s voices or trying to get equality – I can’t believe how often people talk about how it’s gone too far the other way.
“But it’s an exciting time to put ideas forward you think are honest and haven’t been seen before”.
The Downton Abbey film is scheduled for release in September.
Read the full interview in this week’s Radio Times.