Maggie Smith and Imelda Staunton Reunite in a New Downton Abbey Movie Clip
The two women appear to be at odds with one another in the film.
By Caroline Hallemann
Fans are just weeks away seeing from the Downton Abbey film, but ahead of the premiere, the studio has released several clips to whet fans' appetites.
One such teaser introduces audiences to two new characters: Lady Bagshaw, played by Imelda Staunton, and her maid, Lucy Smith, played by Tuppence Middleton.
In the footage, the Dowager Countess (expertly played by Maggie Smith, as always), appears to have sought out Lady Bagshaw, who is accompanying the King and Queen on their royal visit to Downton Abbey.
"How clever of you to find me," Bagshaw says, as the Dowager stands in the doorway. "Well, not really," Violet retorts, before being introduced to Lucy Smith.
Then the women discuss an upcoming, seemingly clandestine meeting.
"We'll have it out once and for all, but now I must go to Her Majesty," Bagshaw says.
The scene is something of a reunion between Smith and Staunton, who both starred in the Harry Potter films: Smith as Professor McGonagall and Staunton as the one-time headmistress of Hogwarts, Professor Dolores Umbridge.
And once again, the two actresses are playing characters at odds.
"Maggie [Smith] and I have great stuff. There's no fisticuffs – but we don't like each other," Staunton said of her character's on-screen relationship with Smith's in the Downton Abbey movie. "I've got things to do in that story. I have issues."
Staunton also recently revealed that despite being married to Jim Carter, who plays Mr. Carson, she didn't see much of her husband on set.
"Jim and I only got to work together for two or three days," she said (likely because he plays a member of the staff, and it seems like her character primarily interacts with the family upstairs).
"I'd been living with Downton for six or seven years so I did know what was going on, but it was so lovely to be there. It was just very nice to be in amongst that phenomenon."
The Downton Abbey movie hits theaters in the U.S. on September 20, and advance tickets are already available. Get Tickets Now!
Check out the full trailer below:
Caroline Hallemann Digital News Director As the digital news director for Town & Country, Caroline Hallemann covers everything from the British royal family to the latest episodes of Outlander, Killing Eve, and The Crown.
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