The “Downtown Abbey” star is missing out on co-star Maggie Smith’s co-star almost a year after her death.
In an interview with Page 6 earlier this week, Kevin Doyle, Allen Leach and Hugh Bonneville looked back at their time working with late legends, promoting their new film Downton Abbey: Grand Finale.
Doyle, who portrayed Butler-turned-screenwriter Joseph Moresley, remembered that Smith loved sitting from the camera and doing chit chats with other cast members.
“She loved the girl, right?” he said he referenced the on-screen granddaughter of Smith, played by actresses Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael.
“She had a lovely relationship with the girl,” he explained. “It was lovely to meet someone like her, relax, chat and tell stories.”
Leach, who plays driver-turned manager Tom Branson, agreed with Doyle, 65, and added that Smith “loved the other actors.”
“(She) loved acting. She loved her job,” Leach recalled.
Bonneville, who plays Robert Crowley, Earl of Grantham, cherished the memories Smith created when Shirley McClain was a special guest star in the series.
“(Smith and McClain) met at the Oscar just astonished at the old days,” the Paddington star recalled, adding that they schmoozed about the Oscar presentation and told the story of Gene Kelly and Laurence Olivier.
“And you know, I was just taking breadcrumbs out of their table and sitting there,” Bonneville said.
Smith, who passed away on September 27, 2024 at the age of 89, pleased a global audience with her portrayal of Violet Crawley, Countess of Grantham. This role has won three Emmys and an immortalization line, such as “What is a weekend?” And “Don’t be defeatist, dear. It’s very middle class.”
The drama, which premiered in 2010, was expected to air for three seasons, Bonneville shared. However, the show ran for six seasons until 2015, and then produced three spin-off films.
Smith starred in the 2019 film Downton Abbey, and her character’s death was a major plot in the 2022 film Downton Abbey: A New Era. This year’s film marks the first project in which her co-stars revive their roles without Smith on their side.
Bonneville, 61, confessed that he didn’t know that shows and films would become such a global phenomenon.
“We were kept saying that costume dramas were dead and no one was interested in this kind of show,” he said. “So we were lucky to prove the world wrong!”
Leech, 44, attributed the success of the franchise to the show’s creator Julian Fellowes.
“I think what underlies everything is the generosity of the spirit that shines through Julian’s writing,” Leach contemplated. “He always says he writes from his default position.
He continued, “Yes, they do bad things, but they try to do good things, they try to get into society.”
Despite their many film and television victories, their co-stars don’t see the fourth film happening.
“Kevin’s fees have grown too much,” joked Bonneville.
“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” was a hit in theaters on Friday.
