Born in Illinois, raised in Los Angeles, and now based in London, Elizabeth McGovern is—like Air Mail—American by nature, Anglophile by nurture. The actress earned an Oscar nomination at 20 for playing Evelyn Nesbit in the 1981 film Ragtime, but it was her turn as Lady Cora Crawley in Downton Abbey (for five seasons and two films) that made her a household name. But now she’s back across the pond and pulling double duty as writer and star of the Off Broadway transfer of the West End’s Ava: The Secret Conversations. To celebrate playing Ava Gardner (also an American talent turned U.K. transplant), McGovern shares her key components to the good life. —Carolina de Armas
Airline: Whichever gets me there on miles.
Airport: J.F.K. The memories.
App: I hate them all. No, actually, I don’t mind Waze. It once took me so far out of my way, people weren’t even speaking English. It was amazing.
Bag: Whatever doesn’t cost $38,000. Absurd. I won’t do it.
Bike: The two-wheeler I rode without training wheels for the first time on July 4, 1966, in Evanston, Illinois.
Birthday: July 18—as I’m writing AIR Mail’s Perfect Ending.
Boyfriend: My husband. Sometimes.
Breakfast, weekday: Right now, granola with almond milk.
Breakfast, weekend: Same. I’m in a “food crush” with it.
Car: My Honda electric NY1.
Child: Both of my children are perfect in every way.
Cocktail: I like a dry martini once every 10 years.
Cocktail appetizer: Olives, of course.
Couple: No such thing!
Date: Saturday matinee, followed by a walk, and then dinner.
Diet: I like the “feel good” diet. If it doesn’t make you feel good, don’t eat it.
Dinner, weekday: My salmon with peanuts. It’s my own recipe, and it’s better than it sounds.
Dinner, weekend: Same.
Disguise: When I walk around with my Chihuahua, Ashley, no one looks at me because she’s so cute.
Dress: I like my new yellow Claudie Pierlot with an Alexander McQueen jacket.
Drive: The Pacific Coast Highway, all the way up.
Enemy: The one who makes you prove them wrong.
Escape: Barcelona.
Excuse: “I’ve got gout.” I got it once. It sounded Shakespearean and fake, but so brilliant. Now I use it all the time.
Novel: Either The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro, or Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes.
TELEVISION SERIES: The Sopranos. I bet everyone says that.
Elizabeth’s Essentials
