MovieChat Forums > Upstairs, Downstairs (1974) Discussion > Hazel Forrest Bellamy

Hazel Forrest Bellamy

posted 7 years ago by Deenglow
6 replies | jump to latest

I recently heard that Rosemary Anne Sisson, who created Hazel, had envisioned the character completely differently from Megwyn Owen's interpretation. Sisson had wanted Hazel to be a sardonic, modern, middle-class woman who was dismissive of the servant system and viewed it all as faintly ridiculous. By the sound of it, she had wanted a similar character to Sarah Bunting in the much inferior Downton Abbey.

With Owen in the role, Hazel was an ethereal, delicate woman who was a little awed by everything and somewhat unsure of her new lifestyle. She had that rich voice (do all Welsh people get blessed with this, UK viewers?!) and played the role very differently from what Sisson had originally intended.

Don't get me wrong, I love Hazel. She was just enchanting. But I do wonder what the dynamic might have been had the character been played as intended. It would have been ... interesting ... if perhaps in danger of being stereotypical.

What are your thoughts on Megwyn Owen's interpretation versus the original one intended by the character's creator?

[–] nyctc7 7 years ago

She had that rich voice (do all Welsh people get blessed with this?)

Even if you are born there of non-Welsh parents (Hello, Shirley Bassey)

I'm going to re-read whatever passages might exist about this in my Inside Updown book before I respond...

[–] Deenglow 7 years ago

Thank you! I have not seen this book, so shall look forward to hearing any impressions from it. :-)

[–] nyctc7 7 years ago

Well, Inside Updown is great to have (especially the newer expanded hardcover edition), but as a reference book it is not very easy to use...just the way it is organized, and there is no index. So without re-reading the whole thing (which some day I'm going to do) I can't be sure I've fully checked your inquiry.

It says script-editor and writer Alfred Shaughnessy created Hazel. "I envisaged a rather shy, respectable, suburban young woman, careful of speech, easily shocked, with high moral standards and a certain respect and admiration of Richard." "Miss Forrest" was written by Shaughnessy.

"A House Divided", Hazel's second episode, was written by Sisson, who says: "'Well, Hazel's mine', I said. 'I'm the middle-class one.' In a way, I'd come into the series as Hazel did, thinking, 'Good gracious, did they really behave like this?' So I wanted to show what a really middle-class, ordinary, intelligent woman would feel. Unfortunately, Meg was so determined to do it her way, she misread every line. I'd think, 'Why is she saying the line like that?' In fact, I sat down next to her at the read-through and looked at her script. It was completely rewritten in green ink. Not even a Pencil! I thought, 'That's going a bit far.' So a line which was supposed to be spoken, say, with gentle courtesy, would be spoken with the most tremendous hauteur. You thought, 'Oh, that's not a very nice person.' She's a striking actress but I still think it would have worked better if she'd been very ordinary rather than extraordinary."

So I would say it was the other way around: It was Meg Wynn Owen, a self-proclaimed socialist, who seems to have wanted a character closer to, say, Sarah Bunting. There is no way of knowing if Sisson was right in her vision of the character. Considering how beloved the character is (judging from this board) I kind of doubt it.

[–] thetaylors604 7 years ago

I only wish that Hazel had developed some backbone and set boundaries. James treated her so horribly and she just sat there and took it. I envision her telling him not to ever talk to her that way and maybe breaking a vase or two over his head!

[–] gaelicguy 7 years ago

So a line which was supposed to be spoken, say, with gentle courtesy, would be spoken with a tremendous hauteur. You thought, 'Oh, that's not a very nice person.' She's a striking actress, but I still think it would have worked better if she'd been very ordinary rather than extraordinary."

I've heard Rosemary Anne Sisson's commentary about Meg Wynn Owen - my read of what Ms. Sisson asserted was a question of 'accent' - that for an entirely respectable, middle-class woman of the time from Wimbledon, Meg Wynn Owen's accent was more 'upstairs' than the writers would have wanted and, it's no secret that Meg Wynn Owen was difficult and drove everyone crazy, doing things HER way rather than do what she was told.

I have always maintained that Meg, despite all of her off-screen shenanigans, had divine instincts and created a very nuanced, intensely interesting and complex character and was perfect, yes, excellent in her portrayal - she was shy and plucky both. was never afraid to speak out at the appropriate time for the right reason and, in many ways, was the kindest and most morally impeccable character in the entire series. That she was treated so shabbily by James and Georgina and most of the downstairs only added to the drama. If she had been a Miss Bunting prototype, she wouldn't have lasted an hour as mistress of Eaton Place. I will say, one last time, in Meg Wynn Owen's Hazel Forrest Bellamy, we have the rare and sublime blend of a superb actress, a beautifully fleshed out character who was directed impeccably - despite off-screen unpleasantness. One of the very best and one of my favorite characters I have ever encountered in ANY medium.

This board used to hum with the most interesting debates with the loveliest people - we were able to opine, we agreed to disagree, and there was a camaraderie here that was seldom found anywhere on this site - we were all very fond of each other. There is no point in questioning or second-guessing the decision of the Administrators to shut down these boards, but I think it's very misguided and most unfortunate. To all my friends here, old and new, THANK YOU! It's been fantastic and you are, all of you, quite marvelous!

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[–] Deenglow 7 years ago

Thank you both for the replies, and thanks so much especially for the details from the book and for the information about Meg being "difficult" offscreen. I'd not heard this, and am quite surprised, but hope it's down to her simply having a different vision which she insisted upon. I've heard the same about Shelley Long who played on Cheers. She drove the rest of the cast crazy with her perfectionism and insistence on how things out to be done. In modern interviews with the cast, though, hindsight allows Danson et al to realise how right she was in her instincts, even if they didn't appreciate them at the time!

I'd love to get into more and deeper discussion about Meg and her performance, but alas there is now no point. I wish all commenters here the very best in life - and thank you again.