The actor, who died in September, played the Dowager Countess in the period drama. Smith, who died in September at the age of 89, played Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in the ITV period drama beginning from 2010. “The loss of the Dowager, it now feels far more significant that you see actors playing characters mourning the family matriarch.
“But I also see actors mourning the matriarch of the show, and it feels more genuine and more meaningful.”. Neame went on to say that Smith’s death marked “the end of an era” and added that “we will never see the like of Dame Maggie Smith ever again.”.
He said the cast and crew of Downton Abbey’s “huge respect for her … will come across in in the next movie.”. Other returning stars include Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Robert James-Collier and Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Penelope Wilton and Brendan Coyle.
They will be joined by Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti, who previously appeared in the show’s 2013 Christmas special as Cora’s brother, along with Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale and Arty Froushan. Dockery shared her excitement at reuniting with her castmates in a video shared to mark the announcement.
“It feels amazing and emotional,” she said. “It’s wonderful all to be back together again. You come back together and you feel like no time has passed at all.”. Downton Abbey ran for six seasons on ITV, airing from 2010 to 2015. The first spin-off film was released in 2019, followed by A New Era in 2022.
