Downton Abbey is America's favorite British show these days, and on Season 3, we'll get a bit more representation on screen, in the form of Lady Grantham's American mother, played by none other than Shirley MacLaine.

　　Recently, Shirley talked to TV Guide about her part, and hinted at what's to come for her in the new season.

　　The character, named Martha Levinson, "is from Long Island and finally lands at Downton Abbey and sees what's happening to the place when everyone's coming back from the war."

　　Unlike the indomitable Dowager Countess, Martha does not cling to the past ─ at least not the British past. "Her reactions to tradition and the class system" are interesting, Shirley says. "I do my best to be kind to tradition, but frankly think it should shift."

　　Shirley also teases that Martha's relationship with the Dowager Countess "is probably not what you'd think." Hmmm...

　　She also says she doesn't share a scene with Mr. Bates ─ is it because he's still in jail? ─ but we will see her interact with Mr. Carson.

　　《唐頓莊園》（Downton Abbey）是近日在美國最受歡迎的一部英國電視劇。在第三季中，除了格蘭瑟姆夫人（Lady Grantham），美國觀眾還將在電視屏幕上看到另一個美國人──格蘭瑟姆夫人的母親，而出演這個角色的正是美國老牌演員雪莉 麥克雷恩（Shirley MacLaine）。

　　不久前，雪莉和《電視導刊》雜誌（TV Guide）在談到這個話題時透露了一些這個角色在第三季中的情況。

　　這個名叫瑪莎 萊文森的老婦人（Martha Levinson）“從千里之外的長島（Long Island）來到了唐頓莊園，她想看看經歷了戰爭的人們會給這個莊園帶來些什麼變化。”

　　她不像保守的老伯爵夫人（Dowager Countess）那麼因循守舊──起碼她不會拘泥于英國過去的往事。“她對英國的傳統文化，傳統思想還有等級制度的看法很有趣”雪莉説，“我本人非常尊重傳統，但坦白地説，我也認為人們不應該再堅持某些傳統。”

　　雪莉還透露瑪莎與老伯爵夫人的關係“並不是觀眾所想的那樣”。

　　雪莉同時也表示説她不會和貝茨（Bates）出現在同一個場景中（是因為貝茨還沒出獄嗎？），但我們將看到很多她和卡森（Carson）的對手戲。

　　我們迫不及待地想知道更多關於《唐頓莊園》第三季的消息！