Elizabeth McGovern — on ‘Downton Abbey’ fame, and what she learned from iconic Hollywood bombshell Ava Gardner

‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’ star Elizabeth McGovern joins the show. Over Greek snapper, Elizabeth tells me about her critically acclaimed play ‘Ava: The Secret Conversations,’ which she adapted and stars in. We talk about what inhabiting the Hollywood femme fatale taught her. We also discuss her first series regular gig at age 49 as the iconic Cora Crawley in the hit franchise ‘Downton Abbey’, getting an Oscar nomination at age 20 for ‘Ragtime,’ and how director Robert Redford changed production for her Juilliard studies during ‘Ordinary People.’ The episode was recorded at Estiatorio Milos in Hudson Yards, New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices