Michelle Dockery has disclosed that the final Downton Abbey film could have ended differently. The star returned as Lady Mary Crawley alongside Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern for the concluding chapter.
Downton Abbey debuted in 2010, establishing itself as a cherished series that spanned six seasons plus two earlier movies. The conclusion served as a tribute to Dame Maggie Smith, who passed away aged 89 last September. Her character, The Dowager Countess, was written off by her death in the 2022 picture, Downton Abbey: A New Era, though her memory was celebrated in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.
As the finale wrapped up with an emotional ending, viewers saw visions of the family and servants dancing together with Violet Crawley, with the camera resting on a portrait of Dame Maggie. However, Michelle has now revealed there were alternate endings in mind. She told The Hollywood Reporter: 'There were a couple of versions of the ending. There was another version where you saw Mary go back to work, she goes into the library and she sits at her desk. They decided to end it on the tribute to Maggie, which I think is the best ending.'
Creator Julian Fellowes previously spoke about dedicating the film to Dame Maggie: 'I think we all felt that if there was a third film, we wanted it to be haunted by Maggie. There is a theme of Maggie going through the film, and then at the end, you see her when Mary is having all her flashbacks. I like that. She was an iconic figure ... And that's another reason to finish.' He added: 'I think the actors had had enough - in the nicest way ... There is a moment when you think, 'It's time to bring this to an end.' And I felt that about the show.'
