Lily James Reveals How Beauty Plays a Role in Character Development

She recalled watching Pamela’s interviews about the fragrances, adding, “I would speak it along with her. And then I would also have the perfumes. So for that, I went in hot and heavy. I was drenching myself in it.”

Lily confessed that she often turns to perfumes as a way to “draw more of myself into a character.”

“Downton Abbey, I remember that was the first time I did it, and my character was called Rose,” she explained. “It’s quite corny, but I used a really heavy rose smell.”

However, her scents aren’t always on the nose. 

“When I did Finalmente L’alba, I was playing an old 1950s movie star and I had a really strong amber, kind of a heady dark smell because she was a bit crazy,” Lily said. “It’s a really fun thing to do, and it’s like a ritual.”