DOWNTON ABBEY's Michelle Dockery: If Maggie Smith Departs 'That Really Is the End'

In an interview with Vulture.com, DOWNTON ABBEY's Michelle Dockery spoke about the recent departure of her fictional husband Dan Stevens as well as the future of the highly successful historical drama.

The actress shared that Stevens' departure came as no surprise to her. "I knew quite early on, before we started series three. Everyone knew when we started series three that he wasn't coming back. We didn't really know where the story line was going, but we were all predicting it would be that finite," she revealed.

Despite feeling sorrow over his departure, the Emmy nominee did not attempt to persuade him to stay on.
"We all had that choice, and any one of us could have left," she explains. "There was a point where I thought, Yeah, I'm done after three, because that's what I was expecting to happen: I would do three series and that would be it. And then of course the success of the show was huge and I had my doubts. I discovered there isn't any rush. I wasn't ready to finish whereas Dan was very ready to leave. But Dan has done some great work in the space of time since he's left. He's already got three films he's doing, so for him it was the right decision."

The actress also maintains that the series could not survive without its top-billed star Dame Maggie Smith. "If more people start leaving, that's when it can't go on," she says. "Like if Maggie Smith decided not to do any more, I think that really is the end." She adds, "If more people start dropping off. I just don't think it will work."

As previously announced, the upcoming season will feature new cast members Gary Carr (Bluestone 42), Tom Cullen (World Without End), Julian Ovenden (Smash) and Paul Giamatti.

Read the interview in full here!

Photo courtesy of ITV

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