Downton Abbey bosses reveal it was 'terribly easy' to convince Maggie Smith that her character should be killed off as production ramps up on third film By Alison Boshoff Chief Showbiz Writer Published: 10:23, 9 August 2024 | Updated: 10:23, 9 August 2024 e-mail View comments Downtown Abbey producer Gareth Neame says has revealed that it was 'terribly easy' to convince Maggie Smith that her character should be killed off. The 2022 film titled A New Era saw Maggie's acid-tongued character Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, pass away from a terminal illness, leaving die-hard fans in floods of tears. 'This was a terribly easy one, because she used to find the whole thing so draining at times,' he said.
'Every year, when another series would come round, she'd say: "Oh can't you just kill me off?" So when we eventually did, I think part of her might have been quite relieved.' Neame is currently making a third Downton Abbey film, but says that it just wasn't sustainable to make any more TV series – even though ITV really wanted them to. Downtown Abbey producer Gareth Neame says has revealed that it was 'terribly easy' to convince Maggie Smith that her character should be killed off 'We'd spend a third to half a year in production.
I knew that wasn't going to be sustainable for ever. The actors wanted to do other things.' At the end of June, t he release date for the third Downton Abbey film was revealed as filming began in Yorkshire.
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