“I was unavailable for the second [movie] because I was doing The Offer. Then [for the third] I was shooting [Netflix’s Department Q]. But I also buggered my knee, and I had to have an operation. That takes weeks to get over, so I was never going to be able to do it,” Goode explained in an interview with Radio Times. “And let’s face it, he was edging towards becoming a bit of a wet lettuce. So maybe it’s a good thing.”
So does that mean in addition to saying goodbye to Downton for the final time, we may also be introduced to a new love interest for Lady Mary? Only time will tell. (In the second film, she had a flirtation with Hugh Dancy’s character.) What we do know is that much of the original cast is returning, plus Dominic West, who was introduced in the second film. The Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale cast also includes Paul Giamatti, Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale and Arty Froushan.
The other notable absence, of course, is Maggie Smith as the formidable Dowager Countess. Downton EP Gareth Neame told TVLine that they were planning to write the character out before Smith’s death, but her real-life loss made the story “more genuine and more meaningful.” Speaking with Collider, Dockery teased, “It’s a beautiful film. For us, it was such a treat to be able to come back together again. It’s a real tribute to Maggie Smith, the film.”
