Denise has sent me a snippet from a newspaper interview mentioning REG:

Taken from interview with Kelly Macdonald, written by Fiona Morrow, printed in Friday Review The Independent on 25th January 2002.

Kelly Macdonald is a 25-year-old actress who has the role of Mary in Gosford Park. Previously she has appeared in Trainspotting and Stella Does Tricks.

From near end of interview:

One of the observations that Altman makes great play of is the self-imposed hierarchy of the downstairs community, a fact made plain by the seating arrangements at meal times, when the maid of the most important visiting aristocrat gains the top spot at the table.

Macdonald hugs her knees, remembering that scene: That was one of my favourite days on the film, she explains. Because Bob likes to get things done he doesn’t like to linger it meant that the table had to be lit from everywhere, so that the camera could just move about. And so we all were sitting here for ages whilst the crew busied about us, and it was really good fun just like being back at school again, just chatting.

Richard E Grant was brilliant, she continues. He’s really nosey and he asks questions all the time, really forthright. He went round the table asking everybody what their nicknames were at school questions that people were a bit taken back by and managed to get everyone to join in.

I asked whose nickname was the best?. Producing a cheeky grin she whispers conspiratorially: Derek Jacobi. His was Stinky.

Pat has scanned a picture of REG from the Gosford Park soundtrack CD. You can see that here. Pat said that she also thought that there was a good chance that Richard’s back appears in the poster of Gosford Park, seen here, as the other male house servents don’t quite have the right “profile”. Anyone agree that this could be a possibility? Maybe it’s one to put to REG next time around?