I’d wager I’m the only hardcore Downton Abbey stan on the JoBlo staff. Ever since my parents lent me the first two seasons on DVD some thirteen years ago, I’ve been unusually invested in the fate of the Crawley family — both their upstairs aristocracy and their loyal downstairs staff.
Across six seasons (and now three films), we’ve watched their fortunes rise and fall in the wake of the Titanic disaster, the horrors of WWI, the glamour of the Roaring Twenties, and finally, 1930s London — where the family finds itself increasingly out of step with the modern world.
This weekend saw the release of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, a film meant to close out the franchise. But with the movie overperforming at the box office, perhaps talk of “the end” is a little premature. Still, during the press junket hosted by Focus Features, nearly everyone I spoke with agreed this really was goodbye.
I was fortunate enough to sit down with Joanne Froggatt (Anna) and Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith), who reflected on the challenges of portraying the upstairs/downstairs dynamic and what life was like on set. I also spoke with Hugh Bonneville (Lord Grantham), Allen Leech (Tom), and Kevin Doyle (Molesley), who discussed how the balance of power shifted over the years — with the former servants gaining more agency, even as the old-fashioned Robert struggled to adapt.
Check out my review of the movie HERE. For me, saying farewell to the franchise by talking with the cast was a real delight. That said, if they decided to make ten more Downton Abbey movies, I certainly wouldn’t complain.
