Michelle Dockery is the star of a worldwide hit television series, but she still has moments where she is in awe of her famous admirers.
In a wide-ranging interview with Boston Common magazine, the Downton Abbey actress chats about the many celebrities who follow the period drama, including Mick Jagger and Julianne Moore.
"I'm just so starstruck by so many people," the brunette beauty tells the magazine. "Most of them come over and say they're fans of the show. It makes us fall over with shock. It's something that we weren't really expecting."
The 31-year-old English starlet's life has dramatically changed since landing the role of the "quite shocking" Lady Mary Crawley.
"I've got myself a nice flat in London now," Dockery said. "I felt like I moved all the time when I first started out, like a gypsy, every six months. It's great to have a home and everything else that comes with it. Being recognized is very amusing and wonderful."
Dockery looks positively stunning in the cover shot, donning a sheer red dress with matching bright lipstick, stockings and heels.
Dockery also strikes a reclining pose in a navy sequined sleeveless top, sheer navy pants and silver heels in a photograph featured inside the mag. She adds a pop of color with red stockings and a ruby lip.
She credits her Edwardian gowns and roaring '20s style on Downton for influencing her own personal style.
"I've taken much more of an interest in style and color, and fashion generally, since being in the show," Dockery said. "I like to keep it very classic and simple. I like a French feel to everything—whatever that means."
Fans were left shocked and heartbroken when Dockery's onscreen husband, Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), perished in a car accident as she held their newborn son in a hospital in the season-three finale. Dockery gave a taste of what we can expect from Lady Mary in the upcoming fourth season, which premieres on Jan. 5 on PBS.
"It was just really strange not having Stevens around because three years is a long time to work with someone so closely," she explained. "There was a real sense of isolation with the character in the first episode because Mary has very much retreated. She's become a bit of a recluse. It's almost how it felt for me."