When it was announced that Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) was going to make a return to Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, fans were a bit taken aback. When the two-time Oscar nominee first appeared in Season 4 of the series, he didn’t feel like the kind of character that would make a comeback — and this was supported by the fact that he was only in one episode of the entire series. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, however, Giamatti revealed that his character will be extremely relevant to the final chapter of Downton Abbey.
Before he talked about it, however, Giamatti admitted that, just like fans, he was also “really surprised” that he was invited back by franchise creator Julian Fellowes (The Gilded Age). He mentioned that his character, Cora Crawley’s (Elizabeth McGovern) brother Harold Levinson, was “marginal” when he was introduced in Season 4. This time, however, he teases that “somebody thought it was a good idea to make me very important” in the threequel. He stated:
“I do something quite important in this [movie]. I was like, wow, this is random, I have a lot to do with the end of this whole series. 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.”
A Lot More Will Be Revealed About ‘Downton Abbey 3’
Of course, Giamatti wouldn’t reveal exactly what his character will do to make him so important in Downt on Abbey: The Grand Finale. However, since the movie is only going to premiere in six months, there is a lot more information that is bound to be revealed in the meantime. Today, the very first poster for the movie was unveiled, and it put the spotlight on Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery). As more posters get released and we get to see a trailer, we will probably have a better idea of how Giamatti’s character will factor in at the end of the story.
As far as we know — and as the title suggests — Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale will end the story of the Crawleys and there is no indication that the story will go any further than that. Coincidentally, the third movie will also serve as a farewell to Maggie Smith, who died last September. Since her character (Lady Violet) also died in the franchise, the movie was always planned as a tribute to her. But now it will be even more emotional due to the actor’s passing.
