Elizabeth McGovern says the 'Downton Abbey' movie is "for the fans".

Elizabeth McGovern

Elizabeth McGovern

The 57-year-old actress - who plays Lady Cora Crawley - says that the highly-anticipated big screen adaptation of the hit ITV series is for viewers who have "loved getting to know the characters" and she hopes the film lives up to the fans' huge expectations.

She said: "I think so, it's certainly our intention. I haven't seen it yet but it is for the fans, it's for the people that stayed with the show that loved getting to know the characters who have been through very much."

The movie will see the return of fan favourites including Dame Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess of Grantham and Hugh Bonneville as Lord Grantham and Elizabeth insisted filming was like reuniting with "family" and the cast immediately "slot back in" to "old dynamics".

She said: "It felt like we'd never left, it was amazing. I mean it really is a bit like a family. We've been through so much together and you just slot right back in all the old dynamics just resume and we march on."

The 'Ordinary People' star went on to tease that the film will pick up very near to where the show ended, and admitted it felt like "no time had passed" when she returned to shoot the movie.

Speaking on ITV's 'This Morning', she said: "It's not that much further forwards so we're the same year, the house hasn't changed very much. In fact I was surprised to see that not a blade of grass had shifted I felt like no time had passed whatsoever."