Lily James has confessed she still has to remind herself that her role in Downton Abbey is not a dream.

The 24-year-old actress plays naughty cousin Lady Rose in the ITV drama, who is sent to live at Downton Abbey in the new series so the Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith) can keep an eye on her.

Lily said: “I still feel a bit like, ‘Am I really in this show?’ It’s such a HUGE thing and it’s so great and it’s just a brilliant drama.

“I watched it, and to be in it and a part of the whole series is absolutely wonderful, and it’s been a great opportunity for me because I’m just starting out.

“It’s not my first job, but Downton feels like your first job, because it’s so huge it’s like nothing else mattered before!”

The new series sees the house in mourning after the death of Matthew Crawley, but Lily promised Lady Rose will bring some fun to Downton.

She revealed: “It’s very sombre and sad because Matthew’s died, so she’s trying to behave and fit and then as the series progresses, she’s trying to have fun and live life to the full.

“She’s like a flapper, that wave of passion and dancing and drinking.”

(Source)