Michelle Keegan reveals hopes of landing posh role in second Downton Abbey movie

She confirmed in January she has hung up her shoes as Lance Corporal Georgie Lane in the gritty BBC drama Our Girl.

And for her next venture, Michelle Keegan, 32, has revealed she would love to take on a completely different role- and join the cast of Downton Abbey for the second movie.  

Michelle told The Sun: ‘Would I be upstairs or downstairs? You know what, I don’t mind, but anything that pushes me as an actor and changes people’s perception to say, “Oh I didn’t expect her to do that”, would be really good. 

‘I would love to do a period drama, not just because I’m really interested in history but because I’ve never done a period piece before.

‘I’d totally immerse myself in the role — and, yes, I can do a posh accent . . . but I’m not gonna do it for you right now.’

The second Downton Abbey has not been confirmed as of yet, but Joanne Froggatt said on This Morning earlier this month there had been ‘whisperings’ of a sequel.  

The former Coronation Street star announced in January she was quitting her Our Girl role as the corporal after four years filming on the show.

Michelle said at times she often felt frustrated when the feedback from viewers would be based on her appearance rather than her acting ability and so would relish the chance to play a completely different character.

The actress said she found it annoying people would comment on her ‘tattooed eyebrows’ or the fact she was wearing mascara because women in the military ‘don’t wear make-up’. 

Michelle told the publication she has ‘been around female medics who do’ and said it was ‘so hard’ for the crew to get negative comments about how she looks on screen as opposed to the show itself. 

The demanding filming schedule of the show has seen the Stockport born star travel to South Africa, Nepal and Malaysia for several months of filming a year.

Michelle’s husband Mark Wright, 33, recently moved back to the UK from Los Angeles where he was working on US TV.  

The actress, who rose to fame as Tina McIntyre on Coronation Street, said Mark supported her in her decision to step back from Our Girl. 

Michelle told the publication she had two ‘amazing’ months off at home since finishing work in December but is looking forward to getting in front of the camera once again.  

Previously speaking about her decision to quit the show the ex-Coronation street star told The Sun: ‘I’ve had the most incredible four years on the show and I want to thank the BBC for giving me such an amazing opportunity.

‘Playing Georgie has been a life changing role for me. I’ve loved every second of the adventure so it was a very hard decision to make not to return. 

‘I feel it is the right time to explore other exciting opportunities but I’m so happy to be part of the new series coming soon so it’s not the end just yet.’

The show producers are currently looking for another female to play the lead in the hit series, which starred former EastEnders actress Lacey Turner, 31, for its first run in 2014.