The Harry Potter star died “peacefully in hospital” on September 27 with his family and friends, leaving behind two children and five grandchildren.
The third film Downton Abbey will have a special message for the late actress Maggie Smith.
In a conversation with the TVLine portal, the executive producer of Downton, Gareth Neamespoke about a tribute that will be featured in the untitled sequel to New Era when it hits theaters in September 2025. The film was always scheduled to include a tribute to Smith’s Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, following her death at the end of the previous project.
Downton Abbey’s tribute to Maggie Smith
“The fact that Lady Maggie herself has since passed away, I think it has given a touch of emotion to a story that we would have planned anyway.”Neame said. “The loss of the widow makes it seem that much more meaningful now that we see actors playing characters who are mourning the matriarch of the family.”
He added: “But I also see actors mourning the loss of the show’s matriarch, and it feels more genuine and more meaningful.”
The Harry Potter star died “peacefully in hospital” on September 27 with his family and friends, leaving behind two children and five grandchildren. At the time, the producer shared a lengthy statement honoring his legacy.
“She was an actress of such stature whose incredible talent could encompass full-blown comedy and tragedy,” he wrote in part. “It is personally touching that my late grandfather directed one of his best performances in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, for which he won his first Academy Award. Jean Brodie and Violet Grantham are just two creations in an extraordinary career that spans decades and delights audiences around the world. There is only one Maggie Smith and she will be greatly missed”.
While speaking with TVLine, he echoed those sentiments, noting that her loss was “the end of an era” and “we will never see someone like Dame Maggie Smith again.” She also added that the Downton cast and crew have “a huge amount of respect for her” which “will come through in the next film.”
Source: Ambito
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