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The cast of Downton Abbey remembered their late co-star Dame Maggie Smith as a shining light on set, recalling how she “made everyone better” throughout her years on the ITV show and subsequent movies.
Reflecting on the legacy of the franchise — which now includes a six-season series and three movies — in ITV’s Downton Abbey Celebrates The Grand Finale, cast members Penelope Wilton, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, and Allen Leech took a moment to speak about Smith. The iconic British star portrayed Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the TV series and first two movies — the second of which ended with her character’s death.
Smith died in September 2024 at the age of 89, but her legacy and presence in the show’s history remains important, which is why the cast took the time to look back fondly on their time with her.
What, how and why?
Penelope Wilton recalled how Maggie Smith ‘made everyone better’ and said ‘we’ll never see the like again’ as she remembered the late star fondly. (Focus Features)
Wilton told her co-stars that there “was a sadness” after Smith’s death and that she felt it “as one of the greatest privileges of our lives, certainly my life, to have worked with her.”
The group shared fun stories of their time on set with Smith, including the fact that she “loved a meme” and so Carmichael had a dedicated folder of pictures on her phone to show Smith whenever they worked together on Downton.
Leech, meanwhile, recalled how he was so nervous in his first scene with Smith that he almost did a handbrake turn in the car they were using.
Wilton, who played Isobel Crawley, spoke the most fondly of the star as she said: “But mostly my scenes with Maggie, they were all such fun to play because we were always in some disagreement with each other and then finally we became friends… I’m extremely fond of her and admire her as an actress.
Maggie Smith starred in all six seasons of the ITV series and the first two films, the second of which ended with her character’s death. (Focus Features)
“When I was a young girl, I went to see her a lot when I was a drama student. I wanted to be Maggie Smith, and she was a heroine for me.”
Dockery called Smith a “formidable” actress and person, with Wilton adding: “It was always like a tennis match with her, actually, it was like playing tennis with someone a bit better than you. So, you had to just raise your game, and it made everyone better. We’ll never see her like again, really.”
What else happened on Downton Abbey Celebrates The Grand Finale?
Downton Abbey comes to an end with The Grand Finale. (Focus Features)
Downton Abbey Celebrates The Grand Finale sees most of the cast sharing their thoughts on the franchise’s history, looking back at things like their first time on set and their reactions to ending the narrative with The Grand Finale.
Reflecting on the new film marking the end of an era, Leech shared: “It was incredibly poignant reading this final script, knowing that’s the end of this journey, these 14 years of my life, and this family.”
With Dockery adding: “We are like family, we have all been there for each other, and it’s really important in this film, particularly, because we know it is the last one, to relish every second.”
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is out in cinemas now. Downton Abbey Celebrates The Grand Finale is available on ITVX and will air on ITV3 at 9pm on Saturday, 13 September.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source uk.movies.yahoo.com ’
