'Downton Abbey' Season 4 Spoilers: Who's Joining the Cast?
"Downton Abbey" returns to American TV in January, and viewers may be happily surprised with who is joining the cast. Readers should be warned that this article contains spoilers.
"We're excited that Paul Giamatti will be joining us on 'Downton' to play Cora's brother Harold, the rather free-spirited uncle to Mary and Edith," executive producer Gareth Neame told the Daily Mail. "We can't wait to see him work alongside Shirley MacLaine, who are both sure to upset the Grantham family's apple car in this year's Christmas Day episode."
Giamatti, an American actor, will not make an appearance until the season four finale but will have the opportunity to act alongside MacLaine, who plays Cora's mother.
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Season four will also welcome the series' first African-American character, Jack Ross, a jazz singer played by Gary Carr. Other new characters include Dame Harriet Walters, a friend of Dowager Violet Crawley, and a valet named Green, portrayed by Nigel Harman.
"We are delighted to introduce another fantastic, dynamic character to 'Downton Abbey,'" managing director Gareth Neame said of Carr's appearance. "His addition will bring interesting twists to the drama which we can't wait for viewers to see in series 4."
"Oh I think that's rather a good idea," creator Julian Fellowes said of making the cast more ethically diverse. "You have to work it in in a way that is historically believable, but I am sure we could do that."
Then there is, of course, the matter of a love interest for Lady Mary Crawley. At the end of last season, fans were stunned when her husband was killed moments after the birth of their first child. His portrayer, Dan Stevens, left the series in order to pursue a career on Broadway.
Tom Cullen, who plays Lord Anthony Gillingham, will be the one who attempts to win Lady Mary's heart as she grieves the death of her husband. The series will not focus on the death of Matthew Crawley but instead move ahead with its storyline and a stiff upper lip in the tradition of the Crawley family.
"Downton Abbey" will air in the U.K. this fall, but will not be available to American audiences until January 5, 2014.
