We have added x2 photos of Jess filming Frankenstein in Albert Square outside Manchester Town Hall in England last week.

 

We have added the copy from Jessica’s interview with New York Times Magazine, there is also a large photo added to the galleries, taken by Nick Briggs for the article (see it here).

Attention, “Downton Abbey” fans: Lady Sybil Crawley is alive and well and living in New York. Or at least someone uncannily like her. In the film “Winter’s Tale,” opening Friday, Jessica Brown Findlay, her ravishing tresses and plummy vowels intact, portrays Beverly Penn, the high-spirited consumptive daughter of an early-20th-century mogul. Colin Farrell plays the thief who breaks into her mansion to steal the silver — and absconds with her heart. And Russell Crowe, rejoining Akiva Goldsman — the writer for “A Beautiful Mind,” making his film directorial debut — is the gangster intent on putting their love asunder.

Lady Sybil’s death, just hours after giving birth to the daughter of a former chauffeur, was one of those moments that viewers find almost unforgivable. But for Ms. Brown Findlay, 24, the decision to leave the series at the height of her popularity wasn’t a difficult one. “It was the right time, the end of a contract, and I just went with my gut,” she recalled.

A teenage ballerina whose career was sidelined by an unsuccessful ankle surgery, Ms. Brown Findlay doesn’t believe in looking back, at least not for long. “I think it’s good to look at what you’ve done and to learn from it,” she said. “But never more than twice.”

In a phone interview from London, fresh from an excursion with her dachshund, John, she spoke with Kathryn Shattuck about her television watching habits and her latest obsession, the trapeze. Following are excerpts from the conversation.

Q. Trapeze training? What on earth for?

A. It’s for the film I’m doing at the moment, “Frankenstein.” I’m doing static trapeze, so you climb a rope and do lots of insane things up very, very high with only one arm or one leg on the bar. When we film it, I’m relying on the fact that there will be a net.

How was working with Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe?

Colin understood on the initial meeting that I was perhaps thinking, “What is happening?” But when we were filming, we were always allowed to do a take where we could just enjoy it and be silly, and that made it very easy to be free with one another. And Russell was just — he’s Russell Crowe. I was standing there the whole time thinking, “You’re Russell Crowe.” I’d love to say there were other thoughts in my head but, really, there weren’t.

You died very beautifully in “Downton Abbey.” Any tricks of the trade?

I tend to find it quite hard not to laugh. Because it’s so serious, something comes across my face like a beaming smile, and I’m like: “No, you’re meant to be dead. Stop it.” It’s quite fun, a dramatic death.

You do so many period pieces. Do you have a fondness for corsets?

It’s all been about going toward where the good stories are. But definitely the next thing I do will not involve a corset. Corsets are sent from the devil.

Filming “Winter’s Tale” in New York, were you recognized from your “Downton” days?

No, not once. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. I think maybe because I was a ginger. I also tend to be rather scruffy, and I suppose if I was to be recognized from “Downton,” I’m often coifed and put in rather a marvelous dress.

Do you watch a lot of television?

I don’t have a telly. So I need to find someone who has Sky [the satellite broadcaster that offers HBO in Britain], make friends with them and then go over to their house only once a week and insist that they don’t talk, so I can watch “Girls.” I just think it’s incredible. I admire Lena Dunham so much.

Maybe HBO can offer you a guest part.

Ah. [Sighs.] Go on. I’d lose my mind. I’d retire. I’d be like: “I’ve made it. I’m done.”

Jessica could be coming to Medway as her next film is set to be filmed at the Historic Dockyard.

The cast and crew of a remake of horror classic Frankenstein are said to be coming to the Chatham tourist attraction “soon”.

The re-imagining of Mary Shelly’s tale will also star X-Men actor James McAvoy as Victor Von Frankenstein and Daniel Radcliffe as Igor, expected to be released in 2015.

The film is being directed by Paul McGuigan, who has previously worked at the Dockyard while directing Sherlock. The movie is said to offer a “revisionist” take on the classic horror novel, telling the story through the eyes of Igor.

Jess is about to start work on a new film loosely based on the legend of Frankenstein. Written by Max Landis (Chronicle) and directed by Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin, TV’s Sherlock), alongside James McAvoy as Victor Von Frankenstein, and Daniel Radcliffe as Igor.

McAvoy recently spoke of the forthcoming flick in an interview…

“We’re shooting in January” he revealed. “We had our first day of rehearsal last week with Jessica, Daniel and Paul our director and that was really good, really heartening. Everybody seems alright, so we’ll just see what happens.”

As for how it will compare with previous versions of the story, McAvoy explained:

“I don’t think I’ve ever watched a Frankenstein movie. I’ve read the book, but this isn’t based on Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein that much. It’s taken from it, obviously, as inspiration, but it goes on its own path really.

“It’s more of an adventure and the relationship between these two guys – this brotherly relationship that we explore. It’s a really dark adventure – it’s not really an action movie but it’s got a lot of action in it. But it’s really about this relationship that forms the backbone of this adventure that they go on.”

20th Century Fox just moved the release date from October 17, 2014 to January 16, 2015 so we are going to have to wait a little bit longer for this one folks!

Yey! Finally some big news for Jess, she has taken the female lead in 20th Century Fox’s upcoming Frankenstein. The Hollywood Reporter has the news, saying that she’ll play an injured trapeze artist who comes under the care of Dr. Frankenstein (James McAvoy) and Igor (Daniel Radcliffe).

The film, to be directed by Paul McGuigan and scripted by Max Landis (Chronicle) adapts Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel.

“I began to pick apart our knowledge of ‘Frankenstein’ and discovered that the public’s idea of this myth comes from a million different places,” Landis told ShockTillYouDrop.com last year. “…I became committed to recontextualizing it all so it all worked in one story. By the end of the day, it’s a period piece and yes, it’s from Igor’s perspective, but man it’s cool. It’s the best thing I’ve written.”

The part marks another big win after several actresses, including Felicity Jones, were considered. Upon departing the BBC drama, Findlay was the choice after months of tests for Akiva Goldsman’s Winter’s Tale. Prior to landing the part in Frankenstein, she was also in consideration for the female lead in the next installment of Pirates of the Caribbean.

This latest take on Mary Shelley’s chilling tale of man’s scientific hubris has McAvoy as the titular doctor and Radcliffe as Igor, through whose eyes the story will be told. Frankenstein, you’ll recall, is the man who thought it would be smart to build a creature out of dead people, which ultimately led to the screaming and the smashing and the mobs with the torches and property values going down all over the place.

Landis’ script gives it new layers. “It’s about two young, brilliant guys pushing each other. Eventually one loses his morality and the other has to bring him back,” Radcliffe told the Hollywood Reporter at the Toronto Film Festival.

Director Paul McGuigan wants the cameras cranking on this one later in the year in London and Scotland.