The same can be said for the actress herself, as she nearly quit acting before auditioning for the period drama. "I was so close to not being a working actress. I had a hard time," she told Town and Country. "It's such a painful experience, wanting to act and not doing it, and trying to figure out how to get there." Once she got the role of Edith, it changed the course of her life. "When you are able to work, and I love it, it is such a joy," the actress explained. "And I've fallen in love and made wonderful friends — how lucky am I?"
"Downton Abbey" became some what of an acting masterclass for Carmichael, performing alongside the likes of Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith, Joanne Froggatt, Lesley Nicol, and Siobhan Finneran (via IMDb). Her time at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre may have prepared her somewhat, but getting to act alongside these icons of British screen was another lesson altogether.
"Drama school prepared me for the nuts and bolts of acting but not for what it's like to be on a film set. It's terrifying really," she said during an interview with Backstage. "There's a lot of theatre heavyweights the 'Downton' cast, and that meant people took the work seriously, but not themselves," she explained, adding, "One of the things I'm grateful for is that I had six years working with the best in the business."
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