Downton Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern talks challenge of working with husband on sequel

Downton Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern has opened up about being directed by her husband, Simon Curtis, for the sequel A New Era, and it sounds like it was a bit of a challenge!

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Chatting to HELLO! during the premiere of the new film, she said: "I felt so proud of him, I was a little bit worried going into it because it’s really difficult going into a thing that’s so established with so many actors doing their parts for so long but he rose to the occasion and was really brilliant, and he’s done a fantastic film."

WATCH: Will you be watching A New Era?

Joking about being told what to do by her hubby, she added: "It’s a very interesting challenge but I tried as much as I could to think of him as the director and not the guy who's always watching TV in the background."

The star looked stunning on the night and opened up about her best beauty advice, saying: "I think it’s what your mother always said, get a lot of sleep, drink a lot of water and keep moving… There’s not much you can do about [aging], it’s going to happen, it’s best to accept it and make the most of it."

Elizabeth and Simon at the New Era premiere

The film is finally arriving on 29 April after a three-month delay, which Douglas Reith, who plays Lord Merton, opened up about, telling HELLO!: "I think [ensuring it is released in the cinema is] part of it.

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"I also think filming during a pandemic, so many films had been mothballed and so many were coming out at the same time, they probably thought, 'If we push it onto spring it’ll get a better reception.' It’s fairly sensible I think from the point of view of Universal."

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