SINGAPORE - The new Downton Abbey-themed exhibition feels so authentic to the show that it has moved even the cast members themselves.
Speaking at a press conference held at Marina Bay Sands on Tuesday (June 20), several cast members of the hit British period drama said that they felt "emotional" while walking through the exhibition.
Actress Phyllis Logan, who played housekeeper Mrs Hughes on the show, which ended in 2015 after six seasons, said: "I didn't have a notion of what the exhibition will look like, but I got quite emotional when I finally saw the servants' hall. It felt like it had its own life. There was real heart to it."
Actress Sophie McShera, who played assistant cook Daisy, said that she even played house when she toured the exhibition. She said: "I felt so nostalgic. I went behind the kitchen counters and did a bit of mixing. I can't cook very well in real life, but I had six years of pretending to be good at fancy cooking."
Her co-star Kevin Doyle, who played footman Joseph Molesley, added: "It brought back a lot of memories."
The exhibition, which is located at Marina Bay Sands' Convention Centre, is described as a "fully immersive experience" that takes visitors into the world of Downton Abbey, the award-winning television drama that followed the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants at the turn of the 20th century.
Besides the servants' hall, visitors of the exhibition will also get to walk through other recognisable sets such as Mrs Patmore's busy kitchen and the glamorous Crawley dwellings. Over 50 official costumes worn by the cast, including Lady Mary (played by Michelle Dockery) and Lady Edith's (Laura Carmichael), will also be on display.
Singapore is the first stop of the multi-million dollar exhibition, which will go on to tour other cities around the world such as Toronto and New York.
On Wednesday (June 21) night at 6.30pm, the cast of Downton Abbey including Logan, Doyle, McShera, Carmichael, as well as actors Jim Carter and Michael Fox, will be gracing a red carpet event at Marina Bay Sands.
