‘Downton Abbey’ season 4 spoilers; Who auditioned to romance Michelle Dockery’s Mary?

It is hardly much of a shock at this point that Michelle Dockery’s Mary is getting a new love interest on the upcoming fourth season of “Downton Abbey.” This news has been pretty widely reported for several months now, so what is really a little bit more of a surprise is the news about who auditioned for the part of Lord Anthony Gillingham, but apparently did not do enough to impress.

Speaking as a part of a new interview with The Sun, actor and former “Strictly Come Dancing” winner Tom Chambers made it clear that he wanted the role, but he actually claims that he lacked a certain amount of prestige in order to land the part over the likes of Tom Cullen, who was eventually chosen:

“I was told I didn’t have enough blue blood in me to join the series. It was disappointing but you have to be thick-skinned when things don’t come your way.”

In the end, all of this really worked out thanks to Chambers landing another role elsewhere, and he would not have been able to do both. “Downton Abbey” does seem to be very happy with having Cullen on board their cast, and we just hope that he is prepared for the inevitable explosion of fame that will probably come his way soon, as the series will return to ITV with all-new episodes a little bit later this fall.

What do you think about this news, and are you somewhat surprised? If you want to read some more “Downton Abbey” news pertaining to a new love interest for Allen Leech’s character of Tom Branson, just be sure to visit the link here. Of course, we will have more news related to the show once it is available.

Photo: ITV