‘Downton Abbey’ season 4: What TV legend wanted a role?

It’s become no surprise at all that “Downton Abbey” is a highly-coveted job for many in the industry. After all, it is one of the most-popular series around the globe, and the quality of the writing and the acting is so high that it has become a favorite of such awards shows in America as the Golden Globes, the Emmys, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

So who apparently wanted to take part in the action at least at one point? It’s none other than former “Dynasty” star Joan Collins! The 79-year old small screen icon, who has been working in the business ever since 1951, reportedly said at the launch of her One Night With Joan show in England this past week that she is an enormous fan of the series, and she “wanted” the role of Cora’s mother Martha, which ended up going to another icon in Shirley MacLaine.

When MacLaine was originally cast for the series, the news was met with great fanfare as well as plenty of attention from the media. However, what was perhaps most shocking about it was the simple fact that when the chips fell, MacLaine really was not in the show that much at all for the third season. As a matter of fact, she was gone a few episodes in. The good news is that it has been confirmed already that MacLaine will return, which is a good thing considering that the show desperately needs a pick-me-up right now after the deaths of Sybil as well as Matthew.

Are there any other TV icons that you would love to see join MacLaine on the “Downton Abbey” set? If you want to read about why Hugh Bonneville took a week away from England, be sure to head on over to the link here.

Photo: ITV