“Downton Abbey” fans were shocked when Maggie Smith, also known as the Dowager Countess, died in September. Smith starred in both the TV series and in both films, with the Countess character dying at the end of “Downton Abbey: A New Era”.
Now, executive producer Gareth Neame has promised that the third film, scheduled for release on September 12, will include tributes to both the character and Smith herself.
“I think the fact that Lady Maggie herself has since died has given real added impact to the story that we were planning anyway,” Nehme told TVLine while promoting “The Day of the Jackal” for Peacock. “The loss of a widow, it’s much more important now to see actors playing characters mourning the head of the family. But I also see actors mourning the mothers of the show, and it feels more real and more important.”
Nemah describes her loss as “the end of an era”, saying: “We will never see someone like Dame Maggie Smith again.” He also said that the “huge respect” held by the “Downton Abbey” cast and crew “will come through in the next film.”
Smith has received three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for her performance as the Dowager Countess in the television series “Downton Abbey.”
Before her surprise role in “Downton Abbey,” Smith won Academy Awards for best actress for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and “California Suite.” She was nominated for an Academy Award for “Travels With My Aunt,” “A Room With a View” and “Gosford Park,” her co-writer Julian Fellowes’ “Downton Abbey.”