How Joanne Froggatt’s Casting Transformed Anna Bates’ Story — and Forced a Rewrite of Downton Abbey’s Romance

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How Joanne Froggatt’s Casting Transformed Anna Bates’ Story — and Forced a Rewrite of Downton Abbey’s Romance

2025/11/11 Report

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From the moment Anna first appeared at the Abbey, we accepted her as the humble, loyal lady’s maid to Lady Mary Crawley — but the story that unfolded was far richer, and partly changed because Joanne Froggatt’s casting forced a rethink behind the scenes.

In a recent interview, Froggatt revealed that the producers

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initially wanted an older actress to play Anna, because they were concerned about the age gap with Brendan Coyle (who played John Bates).
Because Froggatt impressed them anyway, the pairing stuck — but that led to a . Instead of rapid courtship, it became a “slow-burn, friendship-turned-respect-then-love” arc.

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