Julian Fellowes was "quite surprised" Dame Maggie Smith agreed to star in 'Downton Abbey’.
Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes was surprised Dame Maggie Smith starred in the show
The 87-year-old actress played Lady Violet Crawley in the hit period drama from 2010 to 2015 - and its two feature film sequels - and won three Primetime Emmys, a Golden Globe and four Screen Actors Guild Awards for her performances.
Before the show became a cultural phenomenon, show creator Julian was shocked the acting legend agreed to star in the drama.
Appearing in Channel 5’s upcoming documentary ‘The Marvellous Maggie Smith’, he said: “Looking back I was really quite surprised. I don’t know if I should say that, but it was going to be reasonably populist television.
“It was quite a big decision to do it. Actually we were very, very keen that she should, because we knew that she would be good at the part.
“But it would also give the show a smell of a certain kind of quality."
Many stars will come together to pay tribute to the ‘Harry Potter’ star in the documentary, which is set to air on Saturday (23.07.22) at 9pm.
The 90-minute programme will celebrate the life and career of the Oscar, Tony and Emmy award-winning star, and her journey to becoming one of Britain’s best loved actors.
Born in 1934 in Ilford, Maggie was a small town girl who made it to the heights of Broadway and Hollywood and enjoyed an extensive career that’s spanned for over 70 years.
Her determination and talent - after staring in countless films and stage plays - earned Maggie her CBE and Damehood.
Alongside Julian, ‘The Marvellous Maggie Smith’ also features interviews with other showbiz figures including Tom Read Wilson, Miriam Margolyes, Nina Wadia, James King, Michael Coveney, Samantha Bond, Jeremy Swift, Bonnie Greer, Gyles Brandreth, Simon Callow and Mark Lawson.
Tagged in Maggie Smith Julian Fellowes Miriam Margolyes