Fans of historical drama Downton Abbey should keep their eyes peeled for “military superstars” featured in the forthcoming film.
The Downton Abbey film, due to for release in cinemas on Friday (13 September), will star soldiers and horses from the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery.
Credit @armyinlondon
A spokesman for the army in London said the army “couldn’t be more excited”.
“As well as all our old favourites from the ITV series – Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary, Hugh Bonneville as the Earl of Grantham, and Dame Maggie Smith as the ever-cutting Dowager Countess – the movie will feature our very own military superstars, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery,” he said.
“No spoilers but we can reveal that the hard-working soldiers enjoyed a brief break from military duties in London to spend three days on set filming historical scenes for the film in Lacock, Wiltshire.”
There were 68 soldiers and 86 horses involved in filming.
“The ceremonial saluting battery is well used to performing for global audiences so just prepared the horses and themselves as they would for any big parade, even though this one required a lot of stopping, starting and repetition as the cameras captured every angle,” said the spokesman.
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“The producers were really impressed with the Gunners’ professional attitude, patience and ability to take direction, as well as the excellent behaviour of the horses on set.
The spokesman said mixing with the stars was a “bonus” for everyone.
“The cast all wanted selfies with the soldiers in their pristine uniforms. All the soldiers enjoyed the experience of movie-making, learning just how much effort and expertise goes into creating a feature film, and we can’t wait to see the results of their labours on the big screen,” he said.
