Paul Giamatti Says Downton Abbey 3 Is ‘Not the Same’ Without Maggie Smith but She ‘Still Feels Present’ (Exclusive)

Downton Abbey will close out the beloved upstairs-downstairs franchise with a third movie, aptly titled Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, when it releases in theaters on Sept. 12.

In addition to much of the main cast — including Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Laura Carmichael and Michelle Dockery, among others — two-time Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti makes an unexpected but welcomed return as Harold Levinson, a character that first appeared the season 4 Christmas special (“The London Season”).

Giamatti’s addition to the cast alongside other franchise newcomers Alessandro Nivola and Joely Richardson sadly coincides with the departure of Dame Maggie Smith, who played Violet Crawley in the series and first two movies before dying in September 2024.

While speaking to PEOPLE about joining Black Mirror season 7, which premieres on Netflix April 10, Giamatti’, 57, opened up about reprising his role — especially in the wake of Smith’s death. 

“It was not the same without her, but it felt very much like in her honor in some way. She certainly still feels present through the whole thing,” Giamatti says. “Not having her there is obviously a huge loss, but everybody was still acting in her spirit.”

He adds, “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.” 

Harold, as fans may remember, is the brother of Cora Crawley (McGovern) and Martha Levinson (Shirley MacLaine). During the Christmas special, Cora’s siblings visit Downton, where the Crawley family is hosting Rose’s (Lily James) coming out ball. 

While very much not a fan of England, Harold does eventually grow close with one of Rose’s friends, Madeleine Allsopp (Poppy Drayton), who decides to pursue him after learning that he is very rich. Despite knowing that women only talk to him in hopes of getting something out of it, Harold and Madeleine decide to stay in touch after he returns to America. 

Given that one-episode appearance, the character’s return is a curious one. And was a surprise even to Giamatti. “The interesting thing for me was that they even asked me at all because I was like, ‘I don’t have an important character in this story,’ ” he recalls. 

The actor then teases, “But what’s funny is my character has a very significant role. He does something very significant in the movie. I was like, ‘It’s really funny they brought me back to do this very important, significant thing.’ ” 

However, the time back in the world of Downton Abbey was worth it. “When you walk into a thing where the culture is so set, they know what they’re doing, everybody’s happy doing it, everybody’s on board with doing it, it’s really nice,” he says. 

“Those people were awesome and I was looking forward to going back there because I had such a fun time the first time around,” Giamatti continues, adding, “It was lovely.” 

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale was written by franchise creator Julian Fellowes, who also served as a producer alongside Gareth Neame and Liz Trubridge, while Simon Curtis returned to direct after helming 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era.

The rest of the cast includes returning stars Phyllis Logan, Robert James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Penelope Wilton, Lesley Nicol, Michael Fox, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sophie McShera and Douglas Reith.

Additionally, Dominic West reprises his role as Guy Dexter from a New Era, while Simon Russell Beale and Arty Froushan also join the ensemble in new roles.