Paul Giamatti admits filming Downton Abbey 3 was 'not the same' without Maggie Smith

Paul Giamatti has admitted filming the third and final Downton Abbey movie was "not the same without" the late Dame Maggie Smith.

The British acting veteran played Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the period drama series and its two movie continuations before she passed away in September 2024 aged 89.

The third and final film, titled Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, sees the return of Giamatti's character Harold Levinson following an appearance in the 2013 Christmas special.

Discussing his return into the Downton Abbey fold, the Oscar-nominated actor admitted Smith's absence was deeply felt on set.

"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," he told People. "Not having her there is obviously a huge loss, but everybody was still acting in her spirit."

He added, "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."

The Holdovers actor admitted to the publication that he was surprised to be asked to reprise his role as Harold, the younger brother of Elizabeth McGovern's Cora Crawley, after his one-episode appearance more than a decade ago.

"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 said, before teasing, "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.'"

Giamatti stars alongside Downton Abbey regulars such as McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Laura Carmichael and Michelle Dockery, among others.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale will be released in cinemas on 12 September.