Consumption: Joanne Froggatt

Joanne Froggatt has been put through the acting wringer. As Anna Bates, lady’s maid to Lady Mary Crawley on long-running British series Downton Abbey, she has faced all kinds of adversity: a jailed husband, a murder charge, and the unrelenting gossip machine.

It wasn’t until her character’s controversial sexual assault that the show found itself in the crosshairs of the press, boldly declaring the beloved drama “finally went too far.” Fans rallied behind her, and her portrayal as Bates won her a Golden Globe.

Two years later, Froggatt is willingly returning to darker material as the lead in a new thriller, Liar, a series that hinges around a sexual assault. Despite the difficult nature of the show, Froggatt said she was totally enthralled by the script as well as director James Strong’s vision for the show. Plus, she’s picking up credits left and right: catch her alongside Elle Fanning and Maisie Williams in the period drama Mary Shelley, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

During her time off, the North Yorkshire native loves nothing more than to watch a movie, wrapped in the warmth of a cozy sweater. That and the weather are what she’s most looking forward to this fall, “I love the colors of the leaves turning and those days that start to get chilly but are still bright with sunshine and feel really fresh.” Here are 10 more things Froggatt can’t get enough of.


This piece is part of a special edition series, THE FUNdamentals, created in collaboration with J. Crew.

For more on Joanne, follow her on Instagram @jofroggatt. For more from our “FUNdamentals” series, click here.