Are you a Downton Abbey, Paddington, or Notting Hill fan? Whether you’re a super fun or someone just somewhat familiar with Hugh Bonneville, put his book on your radar! Playing Under the Piano: From Downton to Darkest Peru will be released on November 8, 2022.
I’ve seen all of Downton Abbey and love it, but I haven’t seen the movies! And of course, now that I have Hugh Bonneville’s memoir, I’ll be reading it ASAP 🤩. Oh, and if you enjoy audiobooks, definitely think about grabbing Playing Under the Piano – it’s read by Hugh himself!
The Synopsis
A moving, laugh-out-loud memoir from one of today’s best-loved British actors, whose credits include Downton Abbey, Notting Hill, and Paddington.
From getting his big break as Third Shepherd in the school nativity play, to mistaking a Hollywood star for an estate agent, Hugh Bonneville creates a brilliantly vivid picture of a career on stage and screen. What is it like working with Judi Dench and Julia Roberts, or playing Robert De Niro’s right leg, or not being Gary Oldman, twice? A wickedly funny storyteller, Bonneville also writes with poignancy about his father’s dementia and of his mother, whose life in the secret service emerged only after her death.
Whether telling stories of working with divas, Dames, or a bear with a penchant for marmalade, this is a richly entertaining account of his life as an actor.
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About the Author
Hugh Bonneville is one of the most accomplished actors, familiar to audiences worldwide for his roles in Notting Hill, the Paddington films and Downton Abbey. From getting his big break as Third Shepherd in the school nativity play, to navigating Highclere Castle’s complex Labrador policies, to mistaking a Hollywood star for an estate agent, Hugh’s coming memoir PLAYING UNDER THE PIANO: From Downton to Darkest Peru (Other Press Hardcover; On-sale: November 8th), creates a brilliantly vivid picture of a career on stage and screen. What is it like working with Judi Dench, Kate Winslet Maggie Smith, Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes, Julia Roberts, playing Robert de Niro’s right leg, or not being Gary Oldman, twice?
As a naturally gifted writer and uproariously funny storyteller, Hugh also writes with poignancy about his father’s dementia and of his mother, whose life in the secret service only emerged after her death. Coming off the launch of the sequel of the 2019 film DOWNTON ABBEY, DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA this last spring, Hugh is primed to offer up his disarming charm and unflinching honesty in PLAYING UNDER THE PIANO. Whether telling stories of working with divas, Dames or a bear with a penchant for marmalade, this is a richly entertaining account of his life as an actor.
Hugh brings us up close and personal—though his wit is always kindly, and invariably directed at himself. There is shade as well as light to his memoir. Hugh is fascinating on the craft of acting—how to “inhabit” a role, the intense preparation required, and what it has been like to work with the foremost directors and playwrights of our time, as well as a huge range of classical roles. Humor keeps bubbling to the surface, however: whether telling stories of his B & H, G & T, horseracing-addicted grandmother, how the instruction “call my agent” can backfire horribly, or working with a two-foot-high animated bear called Paddington.
