I'm doomed to 'posh boy' parts, says Eton educated Downton star Julian Ovenden

  • Actor who plays Charles Blake said 'we live in a class-conscious country'
  • Star insists education did not help his career and that he 'earned his stripes'
  • Homeland's Damian Lewis and The Hour star Dominic West also attended Eton College

By Emma Lowe and Peter Robertson

PUBLISHED: 18:10 EST, 5 November 2013 | UPDATED: 05:35 EST, 6 November 2013

Julian Ovenden, who plays Charles Blake on Downton Abbey, said his Eton education leaves him being saddled with 'posh boy' parts

Julian Ovenden, who plays Charles Blake on Downton Abbey, said his Eton education leaves him being saddled with 'posh boy' parts

His cut-glass accent may be the key to winning the heart of heiress Lady Mary.

But in real life, Downton Abbey’s latest heart-throb says being an upper-class actor is a hindrance.

Julian Ovenden, who plays Charles Blake in the ITV drama said he was always saddled with ‘posh boy’ roles because of his elite Eton education.

He added that he had to travel to the US to win roles that were not variations of Jane Austen’s romantic lead Mr Darcy.

Ovenden, 36, was three years above Prince William and actor Eddie Redmayne, both 31, at £11,090 a term Eton College. 

Other leading actors to emerge from the school include Dominic West, 44, and Homeland star Damian Lewis, 42.

Speaking at the London Festival of Cabaret, Ovenden said: ‘I don’t know if Eton has been a leap pad.

'I think you have to be aware of the situation we live in a class-conscious country.

‘I don’t assume that I am going to be cast as a Glaswegian landlord.

‘My powers of transformation don’t stretch that far so I am much more likely to be asked to play a “posh boy”.

‘But the school has produced some fabulous actors. And we are all very conscious of it because none of us want to play posh boys all the time, the reason I work in America is because I want to do something different, I don’t always want to play Mr Darcy or versions of.’ 

 

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But the actor insisted having an Eton schooling did not ensure success in the profession, and said he encountered prejudice from those who assume he is a snob because of his background.

The actor, who plays the part of Lady Mary Crawley's most recent love interest in the ITV drama, admitted travelling to the US in pursuit of more diverse roles

The actor, who plays the part of Lady Mary Crawley's most recent love interest in the ITV drama, admitted travelling to the US in pursuit of more diverse roles

He said: ‘If you go to a school like that, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have money or certain views.

Homeland actor Damian Lewis also attended the £11,020 a term Eton College

Homeland actor Damian Lewis also attended the £11,020 a term Eton College

‘It’s very short-sighted to judge people like that, and if it was the other way round and we were judging people who’d gone to comprehensive school, you wouldn’t get away with being so generalised.

'I can vouch for the fact that, if you go to a school like that, there’s no room for snobbishness though there might have been once upon a time.

‘It doesn’t really exist anymore - the nepotism school tie - I’m sure it does exist in places but in acting you do have to earn your stripes.’

In last Sunday’s episode of Downton Abbey, Mr Ovenden and widow Lady Mary - played by Michelle Dockery - appeared to be on the cusp of a new romance. In one scene, they splashed though mud together while feeding pigs at night.

In a separate interview with the Mail, the father-of-two revealed he is equally romantic in his personal life: ‘I’d say I am a very passionate person.

'When I passed my motorcycle test about six or seven years ago, my wife Kate was working in Provence doing an opera.

‘I said “I’m going to come and see you”.

‘I did the 800 mile trip in about 12 hours - all in one go. I surprised her in my leathers - I was her knight in shining leathers.’

Harrow-educated Benedict Cumberbatch (left) considered moving to America permanently, while Dominic West (right) said the stigma of attending Eton is 'slightly above paedophile'
Harrow-educated Benedict Cumberbatch (left) considered moving to America permanently, while Dominic West (right) said the stigma of attending Eton is 'slightly above paedophile'

Harrow-educated Benedict Cumberbatch (left) considered moving to America permanently, while Dominic West (right) said the stigma of attending Eton is 'slightly above paedophile'

Last year, Dominic West complained his Eton education was a ‘stigma that is slightly above paedophile’.

Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch - who attended Harrow school - said he had considered moving to America permanently to avoid ‘posh bashing’.

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I saw him at the Proms on Hollywood Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals. He is the most incredible singer. His Soliloquy from Carousel is a knockout. It's on YouTube and well worth watching!

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Saw him onstage with Michael Feinstein in Festival of Cabaret, he has a great set of lungs on him, posh or not!!!

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I find him really boring in Downton. I would much rather have had Tom Ellis.

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Tom Hiddleston went to Eton but because he is down to earth and a versatile actor, he doesn't whinge and complain like this lot.

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You forget Tom Hiddleston, but wait, he never complains.

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Remember him in the Forsyte Saga he was posh then too. I don't mind a bit of posh, the accent does it for me!

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He won a music scholarship to Eton - which means his parents didn't pay for his education. I don't watch Downton but have seen Julian O singing on stage - he has an amazing voice.

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There's something about Lady Mary, apparently, which makes her irresistible to all males who cross her path. Is it her plain face, her frigidity, her boyish figure or her disdainful manner? Or is it the way she can make an innocuous remark sound like an accusation? I'm still trying to figure it out.

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Love your comment, you have so accurately put into words what i have been thinking. I have to say she ruins it for me.

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Waaaaaaaa - First world problem.

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Dear Mail Online, Julian is neither 36 nor was he at Eton at the same time as Prince William. Lazy journalism (which will now go into press cuttings and be regurgitated as fact ad infinitum)

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