Laura Carmichael found 'Downton Abbey' overwhelming.

The 33-year-old actress played Lady Edith Crawley on the ITV period drama and admits she found it so ''terrifying'' being on set with the likes of Hugh Bonneville.

She said: '''Downton Abbey' as my first job was overwhelming. It was mad, but it was also with the kindest group of people. I grew up with them. That first day was terrifying. I had to do a two-hander with Hugh Bonneville and cry. I thought, 'Oh God, what am I doing?' But we got through it. We've had such an incredible ride with it.''

And Laura enjoys dating fellow actor Michael C. Fox as they both understand the ins and outs of the industry.

She added: ''Dating an actor means you each know what the other is going through. We did the Downton film, but we haven't acted together. Michael's scenes were all 'downstairs', so for his storylines I was never there, or he was holding a tray in the background of mine.''

And Laura confessed she ''didn't know much about life'' until she left drama school.

She shared to The Times magazine: ''I didn't know much about life until I left drama school. The real world was a shock - moving to London, not having an agent, not having a job, my parents splitting up. I was living in Dalston, which was not as it is now. We had cockroaches and no money or bedroom doors. It felt like the longest time. But it was a real learning curve in figuring out how I was going to pay my rent.''