Paul Giamatti, who stars in the upcoming Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, has shared his thoughts on the absence of Maggie Smith.
Speaking to PEOPLE ahead ofBlack Mirror's season 7 release on April 10 on Netflix, the 57-year-old American actor, who is returning as Harold Levinson in the third movie, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, spoke about how different the movie feels without Smith, who passed away in September 2024.
For the unversed, the 89-year-old actress played the character of Violet Crawley in both the series and the first two movies.
Expressing his feelings, Giamatti said, "It was not the same without her, but it felt very much like in her honour in some way. She certainly still feels present through the whole thing. Not having her there is obviously a huge loss, but everybody was still acting in her spirit."
He went on to admit that “working with her the first time around was one of the best things ever and I didn't even really get to do that much with her."
For the unaware, Giamatti, a two-time Oscar-nominated star, first appeared in the Christmas special season 4 of Downton Abbey,The London Season, returning with the main cast, including Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael and others.
It is pertinent to mention that Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, which will premiere on September 12, 2025, has included new cast members Alessandro Nivola and Joely Richardson.