The Herald - The Herald Magazine
PICK OF THE FILMS
Since earning a legion of fans on Downton Abbey, actress Jessica Brown Findlay has tackled many roles.
But her latest one sees her dipping her acting toes into something completely different in the form of thriller-horror film The Banishing.
The actress, 31, who rose to fame as Lady Sybil Crawley in the first three series of the ITV period drama, says it was a role she found “intriguing”.
Set in the 1930s, The Banishing tells the story of young Reverend Linus Foster (played by John Heffernan), his wife Marianne (played by Brown Findlay) and their daughter (Anya McKennaBruce), who move into a manor house that holds within its walls some spine-chilling secrets.
She said: “I’m naturally someone who leans away from watching horrors, like strictly speaking horrors but thrillers. I’m starting to realise I really really enjoy them and I just thought, like anything, I think when opportunities come along that are different, that are going to challenge you in a way that you haven’t experienced before, I was intrigued.”
For Brown Findlay, the character of Marianne is one of many in a line of strong females she’s portrayed. Last year, she starred in Sky’s lavish sci-fi drama Brave New World and in the BBC’s The Outcast and Harlots.
“It’s interesting as an actor. There is very little control that you have over who you play, over the stories you get to tell, because, unless you are right at the top of your game, you go where the work is.”