When the Downton Abbey story concludes with its Grand Finale film — in theaters on Friday, September 12 — one notable family member will be felt but not seen. Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, died at the end of the second film, 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era, and actor Maggie Smith died at age 89 last year.
But Elizabeth McGovern, who plays Violet’s daughter-in-law Cora Crawley, doesn’t “feel there’s a big hole” without Smith, as she told The Guardian in a new interview. “In fact, in some ways, it sort of freed up the rest of the narrative to have a flow, because it’s not stopping for her moments,” she added.
Carnival Films for Masterpiece/PBS/Everett Collection
It seems McGovern isn’t knocking the late Smith but rather saying the Crawley family residents can roam more freely around the English countryside, so to speak, without its eldest member. In similar remarks to Deadline, McGovern said that though Violet’s Downton scenes were a delight, not having those scenes “gives [the new film] wings in a way” and “allows it to sort of fly on its own.”
McGovern also told The Guardian she worried Smith’s absence would feel like too much of a loss for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale but found Smith’s presence still “permeates” the film. “She’s still very much in the atmosphere,” she explained. “Everything she represents is there. She’s in every room, in every interaction, so it’s not like she’s not there. It’s a weird thing.”
Michelle Dockery, who plays Mary Crawley, told Collider earlier this year it was “such a treat to be able to come back together again” for The Grand Finale, which she calls “a real tribute to Maggie Smith.” (A trailer for the film shows Mary looking misty-eyed as she gazes at a portrait of Violet on a wall at Downton Abbey.)
And Hugh Bonneville, the actor behind Robert Crawley, said on BBC’s The One Show this June (per BANG Showbiz) that “it was quite poignant making the last film, knowing that her character had passed away, and then in real life, she passed away after we finished filming.”
“So, really, this final film will be a proper tribute to her and to the show, which is coming to an end after 15 years,” he added.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, In Theaters, Friday, September 12