By Taylor Neumann
Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey) stars in the television adaptation of the classic dystopian novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley that’s currently available on the NBC streaming service Peacock. The story explores a utopian society that has achieved peace and stability through the prohibition of monogamy, privacy, money, family and history itself. Findlay is joined by castmates Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones), Jessica Brown and Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story). She tells, “The script really, really excited me. It felt — even though it’s based on a book that came out in 1932 — so fresh and exciting.”
When she’s not working, Findlay says, “I’ve been watching the BBC, and Normal People [on Hulu in the U.S.] really blew me away. I read the book a lot, and I gave it to everyone for Christmas. I like the quietness of that. [Also] I’ve been watching loads of This Is Us. Oh my God, it makes me cry. Oh, [and] I’ve been watching Queer Eye. Except I keep having to tell my partner that I haven’t seen any new ones. We sit down and watch them together. And I have, but he doesn’t know.” She adds, “[I can] watch When Harry Met Sally … [over and over].”
And though with several projects in the works, her acting career shows no sign of slowing, Findlay shares what could have been a backup plan. “Oh, I was a ballet dancer before [becoming an actor], but then I got injured. So [if I wasn’t acting] I’d either be an injured dancer who could no longer dance, or … what could I be? … Yoga teacher. I do a lot of yoga and I wanted to train for a while, but then I get a job and I go away for another six months. So maybe [I’d be] a yoga teacher. I’d like to teach in some capacity. I love being in rooms with people, and sharing knowledge, and running things around it.”
