HarshBench

I know! She's been everywhere! It seems there is more promo in advance of this than there was in advance of WT, almost!

Maybe because it has been seen and assessed by a few reviewers already and they like what they see. Especially from her!

Yeah, the decision for her to leave was easy. And if she had been a more of a central character and still chosen to leave (which still might well have been the right decision, frankly) she would have taken a LOT more flack for it. See: Dan Stevens.

But I prefer seeing her associated with all these different projects, even if they don't have millions of eyes on them like DA does. I honestly don't care that it's an international hit and they're making money hand over fist and selling tons of merchandise like paper dolls and jewelry.

As a fan of JBF I a getting a lot more enjoyment out of her career as it stands now than I did when she was on the show and got little to do.

As a fan of a few of the remaining characters on the show…I just watch for them, basically.

L i N d $ @ y

Mod reminder: I'm fine with the talk going on here but we don't have to disagree about every little thing. It always happens on this thread (and on the Tom/Allen thread). Can we please keep the nitpicking to a minimum?

That's good then. I hope to be able to have a download link for it.

baileycat

It's not like the interviewer was trying to put words in her mouth. Infact, she was trying to get her to say something negative about her Downton experiences and to her credit she wouldn't bite the bait. The interviewer could easily have anything to suggest that she secretly hid resentment against Fellowes but she never did. People can forever choose to think that she lies in every single interview she does because it doesn't align with what they want to believe but I personally choose not to live my life that way and not insult Jessica by calling her a liar every time she has a positive thing to say about her Downton experience. But I realize that's just me.

Jessica and the director on BBC Breakfast!!!! She's got her bangs back! Not the full interview but its something.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27062829

HarshBench

No, it's not just you. No one called her a liar. No one suggested she was being anything less than truthful when she said positive things about the show.

And I also said she is too classy and smart to bite the bait even if she DID feel that way. Whatever she was thinking, she kept it to herself. And that was the right thing to do, no matter what she was thinking.

I do think the interviewer was baiting her. And not getting the answer she wanted, she chose to express in writing thoughts that she ASSUMED Jess was having based on her facial expression. Correct words? Yes, most likely. But it is what it is: another person's interpretation of the subject's general manners, expressions, body language. It was not paraphrasing.

I never said Jessica did anything wrong at all. I simply stated (correctly) that she did not utter those words quoted in bold in your earlier post. She was silent. Which was, IMO, an appropriate and wise response to the question.

And you are also twisting my words. I did NOT insult Jessica. I pointed out things that she has ACTUALLY said, words that have come straight out of her mouth several times now. Words that did not trash the show or her experience on it, but merely stated that she preferred a more active, intensive work environment and more adventurous roles.

In other word, a work environment that did not resemble that of DA.

I'll drop it now, but I could not sit by and let you accuse me of insulting Jessica or calling her a liar. That is twisting my words completely and in fact is insulting ME.

I admire Jessica greatly for being such a grounded, straight-forward, yet well-mannered and classy young woman who handled her exit from the show very gracefully. I also admire her desire to spread her wings and take on more challenging roles that suited her needs and desires, including the desire to prove herself. And I have stated this admiration, on more than one occasion.

Sorry Lindsay, i know you wanted the argument to stop. So I have spoken my final argument and will let the case rest. But I do have a right to defend myself against baseless accusations that I am calling Jessica a liar or in any way insulting her. if anything I have done the opposite.

We can disagree without resulting to outright baseless personal insults against each other.

L i N d $ @ y

Honestly, I don't see the point of being argumentative here especially since we all love Jessica. If another poster doesn't feel the same way, say your piece (without baiting) and move on.

I don't think you have said anything bad about Jessica at all. And yes, we can definitely disagree without having to insult/taunt another poster. Thanks for dropping this, I really appreciate it.

phillips32

I love the bangs, or as the Brits say, the "fringe".

Here's a radio interview:
BBC Radio 6 Music - Shaun Keaveny, Jessica Brown Findlay joins Shaun, Jessica Brown Findlay joins Shaun Keaveny in the studio
Lol, a Morissey reference! Makes me wonder if JBF's long-in-the works Smiths project, Shoplifters of the World, will ever get made.

Early reviews of JI look really good, which is very exciting. there should be many more this weekend. I read that a DVD will be released at the end of May, but only in Region 2 format. I think that bodes well for a PBS airing at some point, sure hope so.

Thanks for the invite. I think we are arguing apples and oranges here, basically does JBF want to move away from DA/Sybil vs does she want to "trash" the quality of the show after she left it.

Yes, IMO she most definitely wants to move away! Google JBF and the first four things you see are "I absolutely hate corsets", "I didn't want anything fluffy after DA", "Someone yelling Lady Sybil might ruin my pint", and "I was afraid Lady Sybil would be the only role I could ever play." And that's all stuff she actually did (apparently) say.

At least on reviewer thinks JI is exactly the vehicle to finally propel her away from DA:
IMO, this desire on her part, and ours, to move on is in no way trashing the show. Anyone know any ambitious, talented 24 year old who wants to stand still? I don't. Unfortunately, it is true that most entertainment "journalists" are incredibly lazy (see the tons of recycled quotes in every JI story) and also that most consumers of such stories are not us, the overinvolved, so DA is the quick and easy reference for the vast majority of casual readers.

But this overinterested watcher of JBF's career will be very relieved, and consider it an important career milestone for her, when every interview does NOT begin with "the former Downton star . . ." It will mean she has grown as an actress and as a presence in the industry.

The "baiting" of JBF in the one interview is a very different issue. The interviewer did not try to get JBF to "say something negative about her Downton experience" at all, and that misconception is where this discussion is going off the rails IMO. The interviewer simply pointed out (quite correctly IMO) that the show declined in writing and in critical reception the last couple of seasons and asked how JBF felt about that. Truthfully, its not a bad question, just a good tough one for a change. But JBF (also quite correctly IMO) avoided an answer, since saying "Yeah the show sucked after I left" would not sound good at all, even if it were true LOL. A good, substantial question and a good, classy nonresponse. That is all. No rubbishing, insulting, lying, or other nefarious stuff.

Now moving on . . .

HarshBench

Jamaica Inn


Here's another (very positive) early review that says the same: this role will consign her Lady Sybil in Downton to the past.

Never to be forgotten, but in the past.

Darn, I am so excited to see this but I am in the US and have no idea if it will ever make its way to PBS! Certainly it should. Every British show seems to be on there now!

baileycat

Well I'm glad you clarified in your statement in thinking Jess doesn't lie in interviews. I personally feel that until she out right says 'my experience on Downton was awful because I hated Sybil's storyline,' I'll believe exactly what she says because there's nothing to contradict it. She was happy and more importantly grateful to be apart of it. And so that's it why above all else I respect her and how she conducts herself in interviews. Honestly, and graciously. So there's no need for interviewers make false judgements. They do it all the time for arrogant jerks. Not for people like Jessica.

And for the record, I wasn't baiting anyone. Simply stating my opinion that just so happen to different from your own. Nothing wrong with that. It would be so boring to only the same opinion everywhere.


New interview:
Jessica Brown Findlay Hopes Her ‘Jamaica Inn’ Accent Won’t Annoy People - 4YE

L i N d $ @ y

Do we know if PBS will air it at some point?

She will definitely move away from D.A.'s shadow soon. It's just that people will still continue to ask her about it and while people probably should not, I don't blame them for having to ask this again after all these years. Once she gets settled in a TV show/miniseries or another movie that will mark her as an actress, then D.A. will most likely be a memory. And she's classy that way. Jessica won't ever say anything negative about D.A. which really made her known and I believe she owes the show that.

puffball7

Jessica Brown Findlay on the real reason she left Downton Abbey | Mail Online

This is a nice article that was in my newspaper's weekend television magazine this morning, I found it online.

I think it sets out very clearly the reasons why JBF left DA. It seems to me she just didn't want to get comfortable and have the danger of getting stuck in one type of role.

HarshBench

True. The trouble being DA is such a "phenomenon," even though her role in it was small and it is essentially a soap opera in period costume and lavish settings.

Of course she DID make a mark even in her small role, because she has such presence and is so beautiful. But she also made her mark in Albatross, for which she got rave reviews. Even WT, despite its failure as a movie, marked her as a rising star.

The two-three reviews of Jamaica Inn that have emerged so far have singled her out for praise too. And as phillips and I noted, two have specifically said that THIS is the role that should/will shed the "Former Lady Sybil" label and let her emerge as a stand-alone presence in the industry.

Hopefully when Posh and/or Frank come to the big screen (and with any luck something else in between), the reviews will start with "JBF, star of the BBC's hit miniseries Jamaica Inn as well as other film and TV productions" or something along those lines!

And one day, fingers crossed that she will need no more introduction than just "Jessica Brown-Findlay".

(maybe even BAFTA winner JBF? Okay, I won't get ahead of myself. LOL).

phillips32

We don't know that PBS will air it, but we're hoping and speculating they might. It's definitely the kind of piece they air, and ironically, the Downton connection should actually help in this case. There's also BBC America as a possibility.

HarshBench

Americans really like DuMaurier. "Rebecca" is a beloved film here.

I think if they aired "Parade's End," they would air this. They should anyway.

L i N d $ @ y

I agree. I see them possibly airing this on PBS soon and it also seems to fit the type of genres that network usually shows.

Tbh, I'm a little iffy with Daily Mail articles but that one was pretty nice.

For now, I can't wait to see Jamaica Inn soon and hopefully a lot of people will watch this TV series tomorrow!

HarshBench

Nice article, although LOL at the "this will prove she can really act" part. I guess this person never saw Albatross, Labyrinth, WT, etc.

I think that is why she was smart to leave. No matter what roles she had done before or during the show, everyone would just think of her as "the girl from Downton," and not as JBF the actress. And that could have lingered much longer had she stayed. The show is so huge there was no getting out from under its shadow otherwise.

And how telling is it that, as he said, DA made her famous but did not "prove that she can act." He's wrong of course; she had already proven it. But it was too easy for people to only see her through the lens of the show. What's more, she was a secondary character, just one of a panorama. And the best writing for Sybil was in S1, the season that really established her as an interesting and beloved character. After the female co-writers left the writing Sybil was increasingly sidelined and watered down. She had very little screen time for most of S2 and even less in S3.

The show gave her exposure but did not really let her shine as an actress. In some ways it even obscured her light, IMO. If she needed another, more central, better role to prove that she could stand alone as an actress? She clearly did the right thing by striking out on her own.


http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...n-9272281.html


This seems to be a positive take on the series and her performance as well. But it is rather vague and general, so it's not an in-depth review. Hopefully it portends well for those when they emerge.