It's been 15 blessed years of Downton Abbey goodness, with upstairs-downstairs drama, low stakes that feel like high stakes, and beautiful costumes aplenty. And now, the cast and crew have created the real, final sendoff. In Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, the family is facing yet another scandal: Mary's marriage to Henry Talbot is officially over, and she is being pushed out of society because of that. Also, the money is tight (as always) and Cora's brother might not be able to save them this time, and it may or may not be due to a mysterious newcomer named Mr. Sambrook. There's so much to parse through!
Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael, who play Lady Mary and Lady Edith respectively, hopped on Zoom with Cosmopolitan to talk about how their characters have grown throughout the years, which historical era they would have liked to explore more with the characters, and what if felt like on their final day filming on location at Highclere Castle.
The Crawley family spends the bulk of the series doing everything they can to avoid a scandal. But in this movie, there is a full blown scandal that they simply cannot ignore. How did it feel to play through that tension?
MD: When I first read the script, I was really pleased to see that Mary has another challenge to get through. We really have to lean into how awful that would have been at that time for for someone like Mary to be going through a divorce. So it's really how they all sort of come together to bring her back into society. But like most good stories, there needs to be some jeopardy and some high stakes. It goes on a bit of a journey, but it feels like a really rewarding one.
How do you think it impacts the sisters' relationship? Their dynamic shifts in a really fun way.
LC: Edith can see how much trouble Mary's in, and how it's going to be so hard for her and wants to step up and help in any way that she can. So you see them become closer. I love how it's not completely cuddly. They still wind each other up and don't do things in the way the other one wants. But underneath it all, they love each other. And Edith certainly doesn't want to see Mary struggle and tries to do what she can.
It feels like they achieve a level of peace. What did that feel like to you as actors? For so many years your characters have been at odds.
MD: They've been on such a great journey together, and we often talk about the end of season 6, when they finally have that huge standoff, which was been brewing for many years. I was always really curious to see, where can they go from there? It can't get any worse than this. In some ways, that triggered the new phase of their relationship. Them living separately was really helpful. They've both grown up now. They matured as women and accepted each other's differences. They're quite different people. We love how their characters end up. They may not always see eye to eye, but they have a respect for one another. And they're sisters. They always have that bond and love for one another.
Your characters have had some some good dust-ups throughout the years. I'm wondering if there are any lines or moments that stick out to you, make you laugh or cringe?
LC: We do love the big row that they have at the end of season 6. It's just such a good build up to that moment. They really see each other and call it out. You can only do that with real intimacy, if they really know each other, they're really there with each other, and they're able to, therefore, say the worst things to one another, and then heal.
MD: That was a really fun season for us. Season 6, the storylines were just amazing. It felt rewarding in many ways, those big emotional scenes together. We always had a lot of fun with Edith and Mary, but that moment particularly was a big one.
Laura, what does it feel like to have Edith really be the one to save the day in this movie?
LC: I was really chuffed with the script. I was so pleased to see this scene with Mr. Sambrook, because she doesn't turn to her husband, she doesn't turn to her father. She just decides to manage it herself. And that shows how far our Edith has come. She's in a great place. She's frightened for her sister, so she'll do anything. Where we leave Edith is in a completely different place than where we started.
You both have been living with these characters for 15 years. It's been a long journey. When it first started, did you have any inkling that it would go on as long as it has like?
MD: We could never have predicted how huge it would become, and that we'd be sat here 15 years later, still talking about it. But we there was definitely a feeling of being part of something really special. I think when we when we all got the roles, and that Julian had written it, Maggie Smith was on board, and Hugh Bonneville, it had some really exciting elements from the beginning. They were great scripts. But at the time, period dramas weren't as popular a genre. We hoped that it would be received really well in the UK, if anything. And then it felt like overnight, it became this globally loved show. We never would have imagined that, but it certainly felt special.
Filming this final movie, what scene felt like the hardest to film, emotionally or sentimentally?
LC: I think our final scene together, we found very emotional. It's the last dialog in the film, and it just hit us as we were filming it, this is the end. There's a moment where Michelle says to me, 'Long live Downton Abbey.' And she suggested that I walk away, so we just see her face saying it to my back, and suddenly, when we blocked that, we both just burst into years. It's so emotional.
MD: Well, she doesn't really want Edith to leave. Everybody's leaving, and actually it's Edith who is the last one to leave. Mary, deep down, doesn't want her to go. It was just beautiful. That whole sequence was a challenge for all of us, because we knew it wasn't our characters' goodbyes. Edith and Mary are gonna see each other. But for us, it was our final moments at Highclere, the last time we speak to each other in these characters. So half the challenge was holding back the tears. The characters aren't meant to be crying.
What will you miss most about these characters? Are there any qualities from from Mary or Edith that you wish you had a bit more of yourselves?
LC: There's a born confidence to the girls because of their status and privilege. They walk into the room like they belong, and I like thinking that I know how to pretend that on occasion. I'll try and slip into that, because it doesn't feel natural.
MD: Yeah, I'd agree. It's been so wonderful to play in the costumes as well. I enjoyed it so much, having a fitting every time and seeing what your wardrobe is going to look like. It's been really special.
What is a historical period that you maybe didn't get to play with on Downton that you would have liked to?
MD: They were reluctant to push it any further into the early '30s, which is such an interesting period, but it is the Gosford Park time. Julian and the creators were conscious of not pushing into that era too much and keeping it contained in the Downton years. You get a taste of it in this film, which was really nice for us, just changing times and the costumes shifting into the '30s. It was an interesting time for women. I think would have been nice to explore that.
A lot of fans have been thirsting for a prequel series featuring a younger version of the Maggie Smith character. Would you be into that? Would you watch?
MD: I mean, I would watch for sure.
LC: Definitely.
MD: It will be interesting. I'm sure that there are thoughts about various spin offs prequels. It will be interesting to see if Julian has that up his sleeve. Who knows?
