Hugh Bonneville recalls 'very special' final day with Maggie Smith on Downton Abbey

Maggie Smith has died aged 89, the actor was known for her prolific work across the stage and screen but her role as Downton Abbey matriarch Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham was, arguably, one of her biggest.

The actor portrayed the character for all six seasons of the ITV drama and up until its second movie, A New Era, in 2022 which marked her final performance alongside co-stars Hugh Bonneville, who spoke fondly with Yahoo UK of their last time on set together in his Role Recall interview in June. Bonneville remarked how it was "a very special day" when his onscreen mother filmed her final scene with him.

"She sort of had three exits from the show," the actor recalled. "Funnily enough, the final dining room scene felt like a a farewell because we'd spent so many weeks, over the years, in that room, and then there was obviously her death scene, and then there was her actual final scene, which was just a tiny little moment that I wasn't actually there for.

"But [with] the death scene, really, it came home to me quite early —because it took all day to film— that this was the last time I'd probably have a scene with this woman, who'd been my screen mum for all these years.

"I went through a mental rolodex of all the characters I've been aware of in my life that she'd played from Desdemona with Laurence Olivier to the lead character in Three Tall Women, to [The Prime of] Miss Jean Brodie and Plaza Suit, playing opposite her late husband Robert Stevens.

Read more: Maggie Smith, Oscar-winning star of stage and screen, dies aged 89 (The Guardian, 4-min read)

"These great iconic roles that had meant so much to a generation of theatre and filmgoers, and I'd had this extraordinary position of being her screen son for all these years."

Bonneville went on: "So it really hit home that day that this was coming to an end, it was a very special day actually, and I'm sure I wasn't alone in finding it a very moving experience."

Smith has played countless iconic parts over her 70-year career in acting, with roles in Downton Abbey, the Harry Potter movies and The Bets Exotic Marigold Hotel introducing her to a whole new generation of film and TV fans.

But, as Bonneville recalled, she had a long and varied career that included years working for the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company, and two Oscar-winning performances in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite. The actor's performance in Downton Abbey also earned her three Emmy awards for Supporting Actress in a Drama in 2011, 2012, and 2016, respectively.

The cast of Downton Abbey will return for an all new film, and though Smith's character is no longer in the narrative Bonneville added that her presence will still be felt: "People who've watched the show over the years and have loved it will miss Maggie Smith's presence.

"She doesn't step out of the shower and it's all been a dream, she is gone. There's so much warmth and fun to enjoy, and new elements as well —which I won't spoil— that I think it'll certainly be the best iteration of the film versions yet."

The Downton Abbey TV series is available on ITVX, Netflix and Prime Video as is the 2019 Downton Abbey movie. Downton Abbey: A New Era is available to buy and rent.