When Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale arrives in theaters on Friday, September 12, audiences will return to the beloved Crawley estate for one last chapter. But this time, one of the series’ most iconic figures will be missing — Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, portrayed by the late Dame Maggie Smith.
Violet’s death was written into the story at the end of 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era, and Smith herself passed away in 2024 at the age of 89. Despite her absence, Elizabeth McGovern, who plays Cora Crawley, says the film is not diminished by it. In fact, she believes it opened new possibilities for the story.
“I don’t feel there’s a big hole without Maggie,” McGovern told The Guardian. “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. As much as we all loved them, the story now has its own wings.”
McGovern stressed that the absence doesn’t erase Smith’s presence from the world of Downton Abbey. “She’s still very much in the atmosphere. Everything she represented is there. She’s in every room, in every interaction, so it’s not like she’s not there. It’s a weird thing,” she said.
Michelle Dockery, who reprises her role as Lady Mary Crawley, echoed the sentiment earlier this year, calling the new film “a real tribute to Maggie Smith.” A trailer even shows Mary gazing tearfully at Violet’s portrait, a poignant reminder of the Countess’s enduring impact on the Crawley family.
Hugh Bonneville, who plays Robert Crawley, reflected on the emotional resonance of filming without Smith. Appearing on BBC’s The One Show in June, he said: “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 this final film will really be a proper tribute to her and to the show, which is ending after 15 years.”
Though Maggie Smith’s sharp wit and indelible presence will be missed, The Grand Finale aims to honor her legacy while allowing the next generation of Crawleys to take center stage. For fans, it promises to be both a farewell to Violet and a fitting conclusion to one of television’s most cherished dramas.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale opens in theaters Friday, September 12.