They’ll give a hat-tip to her in the movie.
The upcoming “Downton Abbey” movie will include a tribute to Maggie Smith, who died at 89 in September.
Smith played the iconic Dowager Countess in the TV show, which ran from 2010-2015, and both follow up movies. Her character died at the end of the second movie, 2022’s “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” but executive producer Gareth Neame said the upcoming third film will still include a tribute.
“The fact that Dame Maggie herself has now passed away since that time, I do think, has given a real added poignancy to a story that we would have planned anyway,” Neame told TVLine.
He added, “The loss of the Dowager, it now feels far more significant that you see actors playing characters mourning the family matriarch. But I also see actors mourning the matriarch of the show, and it feels more genuine and more meaningful.”
Neame called her loss “the end of an era.
“We will never see the like of Dame Maggie Smith ever again,” he said. He added that the “Downton Abbey” cast and crew’s “huge respect” will “come across in the next movie.”
The Hollywood legend won three Emmys and a Golden Globe for her role as the Countess in “Downton Abbey.”
Smith was survived by her sons, “Black Sails” star Toby Stephens, 55, and “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” actor Chris Larkin, 57, as well as grandchildren.
At the time of her death in September, several of her co-stars spoke out.
“Downton Abbey” star Michelle Dockery told People, “There was no one quite like Maggie. I feel tremendously lucky to have known such a maverick. She will be deeply missed and my thoughts are with her family.”
Hugh Bonneville, 60, who starred as her on-screen son, told The Post in a statement, “Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent. She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen performances. My condolences to her boys and wider family.”
“Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe gave a statement to The Post, saying that Smith was a “fierce intellect,” and praised her “gloriously sharp tongue.”
He said she could “intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny. I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her, and to spend time around her on set. The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie.”
The third “Downton Abbey” movie will premiere Sept. 12, 2025.
