Harry Potterstar Maggie Smith had quite a presence on set — and off. While working on Downton Abbey, Smith actually made her co-stars nervous, though she probably had no idea.
“She was such a big part of the show,” Downton Abbey star Harry Hadden-Patontold Us Weekly. “As soon as we sat around the table, people were like, ‘Should we text Maggie? Should we send her a picture? She’s just everywhere. And physically, there was a portrait of her watching us, making us behave. She was scary as hell, but had the heart of an actress. If you engaged with her as an actor, that’s when she lit up,” he recalled.
Smith was a big part of the Downton Abbey cast. She portrayed Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, and the role earned her four Emmy Award wins. Interestingly, however, Smith hadn’t even watched the show as of 2015.
“I’ve got the box set, so I can watch it,” she admitted during an interview on The Graham Norton Show.
Smith, who played Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter series, died in September 2024 at the age of 89. Smith clearly had left a mark on all of her colleagues over the years, even if her presence did make them nervous from time to time.
“She was a fierce intellect, had a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny,” Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe said after Smith’s death, according to BBC News.
“I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her, and to spend time around her on set,” he continued, adding, “The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie.”
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 14, 2025, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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