George Clooney Attempts a Smooch with Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess in DOWNTON ABBEY Special

As BWW reported earlier this month, George Clooney will portray an American guest at a wedding in the highly anticipated fifth season of DOWNTON ABBEY.

A spokesperson for ITV revealed that the episode, set to air at Christmas, was specifically written to raise money for a charity fundraiser, called Text Santa for ITV. Clooney, a big fan of the historical drama series, became good friends with the show's Hugh Bonneville, who portrays Lord Robert Crawley, when they co-starred in the recent war drama Monuments Men.

Today, The Hollywood Reporter reports that series star Laura Carmichael revealed that the actor's appearance involves an attempt to give a smooch to Maggie Smith's formidible character Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess. "There's a very brilliant moment with Maggie and George - I don't know if I want to give away any more than that really - but George wants to a kiss, and Maggie ends up on the floor. It's wonderful," she told ITV's This Morning. She further shared, "We didn't know it would happen until he turned up. We were filming anyway."

Season 5 of DOWNTON ABBEY will premiere in the U.S. on Jan. 4 on PBS. Click here to watch a trailer for the upcoming season.

A pre-World War I British period drama, DOWNTON ABBEYis one of the most widely watched and critically acclaimed television dramas in the world. The international series has won multiple Golden Globe, PrimetimeEmmy and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

"Downton Abbey," is the recipient of multiple Golden Globe, PrimetimeEmmy and Screen Actors Guild awards. The international hit series is from writer and creator Julian Fellowes.