Dockery: Don’t mess with my sleep!

Michelle Dockery transforms into Lady Mary Crawley when angry.

The British actress has become an international star thanks to her role in period drama Downton Abbey, which is set to come to an end after its sixth series later this year. To play Mary, Michelle maintains a reserved and sophisticated facade, which is far from the case when her slumber is interrupted in real life.

"I'm like a bear if I'm woken, really annoyed, and we had a car coming to pick us up at 5am," she told Britain's Harper's Bazaar, recalling a time when she and co-star Laura Carmichael were disturbed by a party in their hotel.

"So I went downstairs, banged on the door and these guys opened it - I could see by their faces that they recognised me. I just said, 'Can you please keep it down?' Laura was listening above [on the next floor] and she said, 'You literally turned into Lady Mary without thinking about it!' Then she said, 'Oh my God, look at you!' And there was Lady Mary telling them off in pyjama pants and a Pink Floyd T-shirt, hair all over the place. But the thing is, they shut up!"

Her complaining paid off and a few days after the two stars received a crate of champagne and an apology note from the hotel, which Michelle described as "brilliant".

Mary's actions have caused a divide amongst fans of the show over the years, especially when she was embroiled in a love triangle last season and seen leading both men on. But Michelle won't hear a bad word about her alter ego.

"I'm very protective of the character. I love her and hate her at times. She's so complex!" the brunette beauty said. "She can be quite the coward, putting other people down just because she feels bad, but then she can be strong: she's a complete contradiction."