Julian Fellowes doesn’t say no to Diddy on ‘Downton Abbey’
Rapper, actor and mogul Diddy announced in May he was an avowed fan of the hit PBS series “Downton Abbey,†or “Downtown Abbey,†as he insists on calling it. And to play off the news of the first-ever black cast member joining the show, Diddy filmed a Funny or Die short positing that he was actually the first black cast member.
The short film featured Diddy and some clever editing to make it appear that he was Lord Wilcot, the new owner of Downton Abbey.
The video has received more than 700,000 views since its debut and at least one of those views came from “Downton’s†creator, Julian Fellowes, who told the British newspaper the Telegraph that the idea of Diddy appearing on the real show one day was not out of the question.
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“I’d never say never, though I imagine he’d steal the scene, even if it was a small part,†Fellowes told the Telegraph at the recent Life After Stroke Awards.
As the series rolls into its fourth season, it’s definitely gotten more high-profile in its casting. Recently it was announced Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti would be appearing in an episode of the upcoming season.
For what it’s worth, Fellowes counts himself as a fan of Diddy’s Funny or Die short, though he reveals a limited understanding of modern visual effects techniques.
“I loved that, I thought it was fabulous,†he said of the short. “I absolutely adored it, but I just couldn’t see how he could have done it.â€
They have many things at Downton Abbey, but a green screen is obviously not one of them.
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