The Original 'Dept. Q' Was Set in a Completely Different Country
Spoilers ahead.
Netflix's newest thriller series, Dept. Q, follows Carl Morck (Downton Abbey's Matthew Goode), a detective who has recently returned to work after being shot by an unknown assailant. While struggling with the aftermath of being the victim of a crime, Morck is put in charge of a newly formed cold case unit. With a haphazard group of unlikely co-workers, Morck starts investigating the mysterious disappearance of prosecutor Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie) several years earlier. But is the cold case at the center of Dept. Q's creepy first season based on a true story?
Dept. Q is based on a book series by Danish crime fiction author Jussi Adler-Olsen. There are actually 10 books in the series, which follows former homicide detective Carl Mørck, who is put in charge of a cold case unit called Department Q. While the Netflix series is set in Edinburgh, Adler-Olsen's novels take place in Copenhagen.
In a 2017 interview with Crime Fiction Lover, Adler-Olsen revealed that he incorporated parts of his own personality into Dept. Q's protagonist, including his real first name (the author was born Carl Valdemar Jussi Henry Adler-Olsen). 'One characteristic we share is a certain degree of laziness,' the writer explained. 'I have always been embarrassed by this so I have always been quite diligent out of fear of indulging in my laziness. Basically, I envy [Carl's] ability to put his feet up and take a nap.' However, Adler-Olsen also noted some of the more positive attributes he has in common with his famous character, such as finding 'it easy to come up with creative ideas,' and being 'direct.' The author suggested he envies when Mørck 'speaks plain truths directly to people.'
In a 2020 interview with Thrillers & More, Adler-Olsen discussed how his own childhood influenced his writing. The author's father was a doctor, which led to his family living in 'three mental hospitals' when he was growing up. 'Suddenly I had a lot of friends amongst the patients,' Adler-Olsen explained. 'Like Mørck. He was a real patient, who killed his wife. It started as a normal argument, but ended terribly. That deed drove him insane. But he was nice to me.'
Living in hospitals meant that Adler-Olsen witnessed 'autopsies being performed' and 'shock treatments' being carried out, he told Thrillers & More, which all fed into his writing later in life. 'It was very interesting for me to see what a patient I'd known looked like on the inside,' the author said of watching doctors perform autopsies. 'To me, life and death were obvious and meaningful at a young age, and I was never scared. It also influenced me a lot in my understanding of when you're twisted, how twisted you can be. How normal it can be for even a normal person to have good and evil in you at the same time. It's only a matter of the wrong incident at the wrong moment that raises the bad in you.'
One of the biggest changes between Adler-Olsen's book series and its Netflix adaptation is the setting. The show's creator, Scott Frank, is responsible for moving the action from Copenhagen, Denmark to Edinburgh, Scotland, and for casting English actor Matthew Goode in the lead role. 'Because of Matthew, I realized the main character is going to be English, not Scottish, and that it would be really fun to play up his loathing of the Scottish people for no other reason than his ex-wife was Scottish, so he takes it out on everyone else,' Frank told Tudum.
As for why he wanted to move Dept. Q from Denmark to Scotland, Frank told the outlet, 'I hadn't really seen a show in Edinburgh before, and it's a beautiful city.' The creator explained, 'It's the perfect combination between the modern and the medieval.'
Goode concurred, suggesting to Tudum that Edinburgh's 'gothic architecture, and it being the judicial center of Scotland' made it the ideal city in which to set Dept. Q. In his interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Goode said that Edinburgh's 'medieval architecture' and the fact that the city is 'quite small' provided further inspiration for Dept. Q. 'It becomes a real character of our series,' the actor noted.
While Dept. Q is based on a series of novels, some members of the cast drew inspiration for their characters from real crimes. In an interview with The Scottish Sun, Chloe Pirrie, who portrays kidnapped lawyer Merritt Lingard in the series, explained, 'I did a lot of research around the legal world in Edinburgh.' She continued, 'The court system there has been televised quite a lot through the BBC documentary series Murder Trial so I could see how it works, and how it feels like a bit of a club.'
Based upon her research, Pirrie believed 'Merritt would absolutely exist outside of' any sort of insular legal clique, 'and actually be in conflict with it.' Pirrie continued, 'That immediately told me she would be someone who is potentially not well-liked—but that she probably doesn't give a shit that that's the case.' The actress also wanted to ensure she could accurately portray what being trapped in a hyperbaric chamber might be like. 'I spent a lot of time looking into the effects of solitary confinement and what it does to people psychologically,' Pirrie told the outlet.
Despite playing the lead in Dept. Q, Matthew Goode wasn't overly familiar with the show's source material, and was allowed a certain degree of freedom when it came to his character. 'I've done many adaptations [in] my career,' Goode told The Hollywood Reporter. 'And sometimes you get so attached to bits in the book and then they just don't appear in it.' He continued, 'We got to create a different past. So [Morck] is still a bit of a mystery to people, which is, again, why I want to come back [for season 2].'
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Ballinger skyrocketed to fame in the late 2000s through her alter ego Miranda Sings, who would confidently and badly sing popular songs with lipstick smeared above her top lip. She was able to foray this into a Netflix special and show, and she was successful for over a decade — until allegations came out that she'd put underage fans in exploitative positions and engaged with them in inappropriate ways. Brands began to pull ads from Ballinger's projects as public backlash increased, but the nail in the coffin for Ballinger was her "apology" video. In the video, she decided to sing about the allegations while playing a ukelele, saying, "Even though my team has strongly advised me to not say what I want to say, I recently realized that they never said that I couldn't sing what I want to say, so..." Ballinger was widely mocked, and has not posted on her official YouTube channel in two years, though she continues to post on her vlog account. Still, her reputation never really recovered. In the video, Ballinger denied being a groomer, stating (well, singing) that she'd overshared and made jokes in poor taste, but that she hadn't been creepy. She also said that her content has always been labeled PG-13 and that she's relied on parents to decide if it's appropriate for their kids to attend her shows or watch her content. She later addressed the controversy, calling the video "embarrassing" and saying, "I should have handled that situation with maturity and empathy, but instead I just let my ego take over and I'm really disappointed in myself." She also addressed the allegations, saying, "Over the last 15 years of my career, there have been moments where I was immature and inappropriate with some of my comedy. And there were times when I did not put enough thought into my fan interactions. And because of that behavior, people got hurt, and I am so sorry. I never wanted to hurt anybody, but it's clear that I did and I feel so terrible about that." the mid-to-late 2010s, Ruby Franke ran the popular family vlog 8 Passengers, where she showcased content with her husband and six kids. Some of her parenting (specifically discipline) methods, including withholding food and making a child sleep on a bean bag for months, began to receive backlash in 2020, leading to her YouTube page becoming less and less popular. It was later deleted, and Franke began to make other content with counselor and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt. This career turn may have been successful, but the next year, both Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on child abuse charges after one of Franke's children escaped Hildebrandt's house from a window and asked a neighbor for food and water, appearing malnourished and injured. Both pled guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse and were sentenced to up to 30 years in prison. Franke has obviously not made content since. and James Stauffer were popular family vloggers who consistently posted about parenting their four children on YouTube. Then, in 2017, the parents adopted then-2-year-old Huxley from China. They documented the difficulties of this process, as well as Huxley being diagnosed with autism post-adoption. Then, in 2020, Huxley began to disappear from their videos. They then posted a long video saying he had been "rehomed." Related: The backlash was strong and swift, with several brands cutting ties with the Stauffers. They deleted their YouTube Channel, and Myka has not posted on Instagram since her apology. James currently runs a car detailing account. Abulaban (@jinnkid) grew famous through comedy videos on TikTok, which sometimes involved his partner, Ana, who later found internet fame of her own. Growing jealous and possessive, Ali began to abuse Ana, even livestreaming some of his verbal abuse. He murdered her and her friend, Rayburn Barron, in October 2021 and was later found guilty of their murders and sentenced to life in prison. Morshun Brownlee, one half of TikTok couple @denoandzahra, gained fame for his videos with then-girlfriend Seyeddah "Zahra" Hashemi. But last year, witnesses claimed Brownlee and Hashemi got into an argument that turned physical, leading to Zahra being shot. Brownlee, according to authorities, allegedly confessed to having shot her on a 911 call and with detectives. He was arrested, while Hashemi survived but, according to her sister, suffered a traumatic brain injury. Brownlee later pleaded guilty to charges, with his lawyer claiming the gun accidentally discharged. He was sentenced to ten years' probation. The couple apparently remains together, but they have not posted since last May. 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Then, in 2021, Charles was also accused of grooming an underage boy and sending explicit photos on Snapchat. Charles did not deny the messages between the two but did deny knowing the boy's age was 16. Three more boys came forward claiming inappropriate behavior from Charles, and Charles was fired as the host of Instant Influencer. In response to Tati's video, Star said he was "really reflecting on my behavior" and apologized to Charles, saying he could have dealt with his issues with Charles offline. However, he also said, "a lot of things that are happening and have been said are false," but that he wouldn't "be entertaining it." Reading live to the video, Dawson said Westbrook was "so manipulative" and "fake crying." He then tweeted, "THIS IS A F---ING LIE AND IM LOSING MY MIND!!!!!!!!!!" (though he deleted it later). Charles apologized to two victims and said he was unaware of the power dynamics at play while messaging them but denied other allegations. 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Colleen Ballinger skyrocketed to fame in the late 2000s through her alter ego Miranda Sings, who would confidently and badly sing popular songs with lipstick smeared above her top lip. She was able to foray this into a Netflix special and show, and she was successful for over a decade — until allegations came out that she'd put underage fans in exploitative positions and engaged with them in inappropriate ways. Brands began to pull ads from Ballinger's projects as public backlash increased, but the nail in the coffin for Ballinger was her "apology" video. In the video, she decided to sing about the allegations while playing a ukelele, saying, "Even though my team has strongly advised me to not say what I want to say, I recently realized that they never said that I couldn't sing what I want to say, so..." Ballinger was widely mocked, and has not posted on her official YouTube channel in two years, though she continues to post on her vlog account. Still, her reputation never really recovered. In the video, Ballinger denied being a groomer, stating (well, singing) that she'd overshared and made jokes in poor taste, but that she hadn't been creepy. She also said that her content has always been labeled PG-13 and that she's relied on parents to decide if it's appropriate for their kids to attend her shows or watch her later addressed the controversy, calling the video "embarrassing" and saying, "I should have handled that situation with maturity and empathy, but instead I just let my ego take over and I'm really disappointed in myself." She also addressed the allegations, saying, "Over the last 15 years of my career, there have been moments where I was immature and inappropriate with some of my comedy. And there were times when I did not put enough thought into my fan interactions. And because of that behavior, people got hurt, and I am so sorry. I never wanted to hurt anybody, but it's clear that I did and I feel so terrible about that." In the mid-to-late 2010s, Ruby Franke ran the popular family vlog 8 Passengers, where she showcased content with her husband and six kids. Some of her parenting (specifically discipline) methods, including withholding food and making a child sleep on a bean bag for months, began to receive backlash in 2020, leading to her YouTube page becoming less and less popular. It was later deleted, and Franke began to make other content with counselor and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt. This career turn may have been successful, but the next year, both Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on child abuse charges after one of Franke's children escaped Hildebrandt's house from a window and asked a neighbor for food and water, appearing malnourished and injured. Both pled guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse and were sentenced to up to 30 years in prison. Franke has obviously not made content since. Myka and James Stauffer were popular family vloggers who consistently posted about parenting their four children on YouTube. Then, in 2017, the parents adopted then-2-year-old Huxley from China. They documented the difficulties of this process, as well as Huxley being diagnosed with autism post-adoption. Then, in 2020, Huxley began to disappear from their videos. They then posted a long video saying he had been "rehomed." The backlash was strong and swift, with several brands cutting ties with the Stauffers. They deleted their YouTube Channel, and Myka has not posted on Instagram since her apology. James currently runs a car detailing account. Ali Abulaban (@jinnkid) grew famous through comedy videos on TikTok, which sometimes involved his partner, Ana, who later found internet fame of her own. Growing jealous and possessive, Ali began to abuse Ana, even livestreaming some of his verbal abuse. He murdered her and her friend, Rayburn Barron, in October 2021 and was later found guilty of their murders and sentenced to life in prison. Ladarius Morshun Brownlee, one half of TikTok couple @denoandzahra, gained fame for his videos with then-girlfriend Seyeddah "Zahra" Hashemi. But last year, witnesses claimed Brownlee and Hashemi got into an argument that turned physical, leading to Zahra being shot. Brownlee, according to authorities, allegedly confessed to having shot her on a 911 call and with detectives. He was arrested, while Hashemi survived but, according to her sister, suffered a traumatic brain injury. Brownlee later pleaded guilty to charges, with his lawyer claiming the gun accidentally discharged. He was sentenced to ten years' probation. The couple apparently remains together, but they have not posted since last May. While YouTuber Jaystation's content had always been controversial (usually involving him entering locations after hours and trying to get out without triggering alarms), he reached a new low when he was accused of faking the death of his girlfriend, Alexia Marano. Jaystation (real name: Jason Ethier) posted multiple videos about her "death," including one where he attempted to contact her using an Ouija board. Then he admitted the whole thing was a lie, claiming Marano was in on it but that she'd since left him. Marano then spoke out and said she hadn't wanted to go through with it, but that she was afraid of Ethier, whom she called controlling. Ethier claimed Marano was trying to ruin his life with false accusations about an assault weapon. Ethier's career took a massive hit, and his YouTube accounts were later suspended, which marked the end of his YouTube career. Jeffree Star is perhaps one of the most infamous examples, both because of how far he fell and because of the sheer number of controversies. After initially rising to notoriety through MySpace and music, Star launched a makeup brand and YouTube channel, earning him more widespread fame. But in the mid-to-late 2010s, Star began to face backlash as fans and ex-friends recalled instances of racism. This ultimately led to Morphe dropping ties with him. Star apologized in 2017, but in 2020, he was accused of sexual assault, physical assault, abuse, and payouts to accusers (his attorney denied all allegations). In the wake of these controversies, along with a public feud with James Charles, he lost hundreds of thousands of followers, and his brand suffered. He later made anti-nonbinary remarks about "they/them" pronouns being "stupid" and "bullshit," though he said he was not anti-trans. Today, he is still finding success but has been hindered by the amount of backlash and is a wildly controversial figure. Beauty guru and YouTuber James Charles' career was riddled with controversy from the beginning, but things really took a turn when fellow YouTuber Tati Westbrook posted the video "Bye, Sister" in 2019, detailing the breakdown of her friendship with Charles. She also accused him of being sexually manipulative, which Charles denied in a response video. That same month, model Gage Gomez accused Charles of pressuring him into sexual situations. Charles responded on Twitter and said anything that had gone down between the two was consensual and that they'd been talking for many months prior. Things were shaky for Charles for the next few years, though Westbrook said she had been manipulated into making her initial "Bye, Sister" video against Charles by Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson (also, incidentally, on this list). Then, in 2021, Charles was also accused of grooming an underage boy and sending explicit photos on Snapchat. Charles did not deny the messages between the two but did deny knowing the boy's age was 16. Three more boys came forward claiming inappropriate behavior from Charles, and Charles was fired as the host of Instant Influencer. In response to Tati's video, Star said he was "really reflecting on my behavior" and apologized to Charles, saying he could have dealt with his issues with Charles offline. However, he also said, "a lot of things that are happening and have been said are false," but that he wouldn't "be entertaining it."Reading live to the video, Dawson said Westbrook was "so manipulative" and "fake crying." He then tweeted, "THIS IS A F---ING LIE AND IM LOSING MY MIND!!!!!!!!!!" (though he deleted it later). Charles apologized to two victims and said he was unaware of the power dynamics at play while messaging them but denied other allegations. Morphe then cut ties with Charles (though Charles' team stated they requested this), and YouTube temporarily demonetized his videos. He lost up to millions, and his younger brother stopped speaking to him. He attempted a comeback, launching the makeup brand Painted. He still regularly posts YouTube videos, but they receive vastly fewer views than in the past. In 2021, he surpassed Jeffree Star as the most disliked beauty YouTuber. Shane Dawson was one of the first major YouTube stars back in the 2000s. After a decade of success, in the 2010s, some of his old videos began to resurface, with fans accusing him of racism and pointing to jokes he had made about pedophilia and animal abuse. He apologized in June 2020, but the damage was done, especially after he was accused of sexualizing Willow Smith as a minor. Target pulled his books from circulation, and YouTube temporarily demonetized Dawson's videos. Dawson then took a long break from YouTube but returned in late 2021, though his videos were less successful than they had been previously. Dawson continues to be a controversial figure, in part due to his continued collaboration with Jeffree Star. His popularity is nowhere near where it used to be. David Dobrik first became famous on Vine, transitioning to a career on YouTube and later a successful podcast. He and his friends came to be known as "The Vlog Squad" — which made headlines when one member, Dom Zeglaitis, was accused of a rape that reportedly occurred during a night shoot for a video with Dobrik. Zeglaitis was also accused of other sexually inappropriate conduct. On Instagram, Zeglaitis apologized to his alleged victim but claimed everything had been consensual. No charges were filed. It doesn't appear that he specifically addressed allegations from other women. Another Vlog Squad member, Seth Francois, said he was tricked into kissing a fellow male group member while blindfolded. He later detailed the racist treatment he received as part of the group. Another former member, Nick Keswani, said he was continuously mocked in the group. Fellow influencer Trisha Paytas said while she was dating group member Jason Nash, she was involved in a prank where Dobrik hid while she had sex with Nash and then filmed her naked, which she was unaware of. She said she asked the video not to be posted, but it was. Dobrik posted a video apologizing to Francois and saying he'd taken a step back from Zeglaitis, and overall saying he was "disappointed by some of [his] friends," though many found his apology insufficient. Multiple companies then distanced themselves from Dobrik, and his subscribers and views on YouTube plummeted. Dobrik apologized again, calling out his last apology video and specifically discussing the accusations against Zeglaitis. He acknowledged "creating an unfair power dynamic," but the damage was done. YouTube temporarily demonetized Dobrik's channel (and Zeglaitis's), and Dobrik took a break from the platform. However, he returned not long after and again found success. But then former Vlog Squadder Jeff Wittek posted a video describing an injury he received while filming a video for Dobrik and later sued him for negligence, reigniting controversy. The lawsuit appears to be ongoing. Dobrik claimed that Wittek was aware of all the risks and that the stunt was Wittek's idea. He also called the incident an "accident" and "the worst thing that's ever happened to me," adding that he wishes he were the one doing the stunt instead. "He got hurt because I was driving," he said. "That's it, and I f---ing know that, and like I said, any chance I would get, I would take that back." Dobrik did not post on his YouTube channel for two years, but returned earlier this year. His videos are still very popular, but his reputation isn't what it was. Swedish streamer and YouTuber PewDiePie became wildly popular in the 2010s for his video-game-related content and vlogging. He had made several controversial jokes, comments, and videos over the years, but the real backlash began when he paid two people to hold a sign saying, "Death to all Jews." PewDiePie apologized but called accusations of anti-Semitism "unfair," saying he was just trying to show people "would say anything for five dollars." He later used the n-word in a livestream. His YouTube Red show, Scare PewDiePie, was canceled, and Disney cut ties with him. Google Preferred also cut him from their advertising program. He later moved to Japan, where he continues to post videos. However, he is not quite as successful as he once was, and he was surpassed as the most subscribed-to channel on YouTube. Australian health influencer Belle Gibson became well-known online for her diagnosis of terminal brain cancer — which she'd somehow managed to survive through whole foods and alternative therapies. She then created The Whole Pantry App and accompanying book and continued providing wellness content, claiming she was donating much of the money she made to charity. After people began to doubt aspects of her story in 2015, she admitted she had lied about having cancer. She was later fined 410,000 Australian dollars and has largely disappeared from the public eye. Authorities are still trying to get Gibson to pay the fine. TikToker @jorobe (real name: John Robert Bell) blew up on TikTok over his videos calling out other creators and promoting a safe space for young people. Ironically, in 2021, Bell was accused of grooming by TikToker @dylg16, who claimed he had begun a friendship with Bell while underage. He said Bell had asked him to get an Airbnb with him on his 18th birthday and also offered to buy him alcohol. He also claimed Bell had attempted to alienate him from his friends and asked him, along with a group of other young creators, to take a BDSM test. Bell did not respond publicly; instead, he deactivated his TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. Caroline Calloway first became popular on Instagram in the 2010s, and as a result, she sold a book proposal she'd written with her friend Natalie Beach. However, when she failed to submit a full manuscript, she made headlines and was ordered to pay back $100,000 to the publisher. At first, it seemed her career might survive, but it all came crashing down in 2019. First, she sold tickets to a "Creativity Workshop" that was met with backlash over its value, with many comparing it to Fyre Festival. Just before the first event, Calloway canceled several of its promised features, including personalized letters, and attendees were disappointed by the care packages and "tips" they received from Calloway. She also had not yet booked venues for many events and ended up moving some to New York. In response to the growing backlash, Calloway canceled the rest of her workshops and refunded everyone who had bought a ticket, including those who had attended one of the workshops that had already been held. 'I think that criticism is really valid and I apologise to anyone who felt cheated by the price point of $165,' Calloway wrote on Instagram. Later that year, Natalie Beach published an essay with The Cut, exposing her toxic relationship with Calloway, detailing her contributions as Calloway's collaborator and ghostwriter, and claiming that Calloway had bought followers. In a response, Calloway said many of the things she'd said to Beach were lies and that she'd been a "shitty friend." She also admitted to buying followers. However, she also said that Beach did not help her become famous and only assisted with "captions that no one read" and a book proposal "only book editors saw." Calloway later embraced the accusations, publishing a book titled Scammer (Beach also published a book). This came after she left New York and moved to Florida to focus on writing. She was able to recover with her book, which was well-received, and released a second book last year. While she has made a comeback, her brand is vastly different, and she still has her detractors. Finally, Logan Paul initially became famous on Vine before transitioning to YouTube. His first significant backlash came in 2017 when he posted a video titled, "We found a dead body in the Japanese Suicide Forest," which literally featured a corpse. The video garnered widespread backlash, and YouTube took Paul off its Google Preferred ad tier. Paul took a three-week break from YouTube and then apologized, donating $1 million to suicide prevention. However, he soon posted videos involving tasering dead rats and giving "CPR" to a koi fish, and YouTube pulled all ads from his videos. He's since ventured into a career in wrestling and continued to create content (ads were again allowed on his videos), but he's still a widely mocked and hated creator.
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Elizabeth McGovern says Maggie Smith's absence from new' Downton Abbey' 'sort of freed up the rest of the narrative'
"She's still very much in the atmosphere," McGovern said of her late costar in the upcoming movie "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale." Key points Elizabeth McGovern said that Maggie Smith's death has "freed up" the story of the new Downton Abbey movie. The actress stated that her late costar's presence is "still very much in the atmosphere" of the movie. McGovern also said that she wanted better for her character: "I wish at times she could have had more interesting stories." Elizabeth McGovern doesn't feel like Maggie Smith is missing from the new Downton Abbey installment. The Ordinary People actress, who played Cora Crawley on the hit English drama, believes that her late costar's presence "permeates" the forthcoming movie Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale despite her death in September 2024. "She's still very much in the atmosphere," McGovern said of Smith, who played her mother-in-law, the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley, during an interview with The Guardian. "I don't feel there's a big hole. In fact, in some ways, it sort of freed up the rest of the narrative to have a flow, because it's not stopping for her moments." Smith's character died near the conclusion of the franchise's previous installment, 2022's Downton Abbey: A New Era, which means The Grand Finale wasn't adversely affected by Smith's passing. "Everything she represents is there," McGovern said of Smith. "She's in every room, in every interaction, so it's not like she's not there. It's a weird thing." McGovern also said that it has sometimes been challenging to put herself in the shoes of a character living in the early 20th century. "I think as a contemporary woman, it is hard to feel the straitjacket of that period." she said. "I wish at times she could have had more interesting stories." However, she also noted that her character probably couldn't have realistically enjoyed "any more political or social power, because it just wouldn't be accurate to the time." Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale will see almost all of the original series' cast return to their roles, including Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, and Robert James-Collier. Also returning: Paul Giamatti, who played Cora's brother, Harold Levinson, on the original series. "I'm really surprised that I returned at all," Giamatti told Entertainment Weekly of his role in March. "I had a very kind of marginal character, and somebody thought it was a good idea to make me very important in this [movie]." Giamatti highlighted his character's essential role in the third (and supposedly final) Downton movie. "I was like, wow, this is random, I have a lot to do with the end of this whole series," the actor said. "I do something of real significance — good or bad, I'm not going to say! But, I do something that makes a big difference to how everything ends."Downton executive producer Gareth Neame previously said that Smith's death has enhanced the strong emotions of the upcoming film. "The fact that Dame Maggie herself has now passed away since that time, I do think, has given a real added poignancy to a story that we would have planned anyway," he told TVLine. "The loss of the Dowager, it now feels far more significant that you see actors playing characters mourning the family matriarch. But I also see actors it feels more genuine and more meaningful." Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale hits theaters on Sept. 12. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
