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Did you spot this Downton Abbey star in The Secrets She Keeps?

Laura Carmichael is playing a very different role in the new show


downton abbey edith
Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
July 21, 2020
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While plenty of viewers have been praising the amazing performances in BBC's new series, The Secrets She Keeps, some fans were surprised to discover where they had seen Laura Carmichael, who plays Agatha, before. 

READ: The Secrets She Keeps' Simon was a famous child actor - get the details

The star is perhaps best known for her role as Lady Edith Crawley in the hit TV drama and film adaptation, Downton Abbey, and has swapped gowns and parasols for jeans and a fake baby bump for the show. 

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Laura is best known for playing Lady Edith in Downton Abbey

Speaking about spotting the Downton actress in The Secrets She Keeps, one person tweeted: "Do you know, I was watching the repeats of #downtonabbey on @ITV last Sunday. I never realised it was the same actress as Aggie in #TheSecretsSheKeeps! I suppose because it's an Australian production, so I just never made the connection." 

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Laura opened up about trying something new with the kidnapping drama

Speaking about playing Agatha, Laura told BBC America: "I had been doing The Spanish Princess as well as Downton, so I definitely wanted to look at projects that were quite modern. And then when I read the script, I just thought it was so, so great and absolutely in a genre that I was interested in doing – and not like anything I’ve ever read before." 

WATCH: Lady Carnarvon welcomes us inside Downton Abbey

Speaking about the swap from period dramas, she continued: "I feel very lucky in that Downton was really my first job and it opened so many doors for me. I’m always sort of in awe of it. But yeah, I have had a lot of period work since then – I think there’s a lot of it about; it still remains in-demand and it’s what we’re producing a lot of. 

READ: The shocking true story behind Catching A Killer: A Diary from the Grave

"And with The Secrets She Keeps, I often think that if it had come from the UK [rather than Australia], I don’t think they would have seen me for the part." 

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