Maggie Smith: New Movie, Working with Michael Gambon, and Downton

Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall) recently sat down for a couple of Sunday Time’s interviews. (If you have a subscription to The Sunday Times you can read the full articles here and here). Smith talked of her character on Downton Abbey, saying that the series must be coming to an end, and she doesn’t “see how it can go on.” She mentioned her character specifically, saying that Violet Crawley can’t go on be she “must be 110 by now, we’re in the late 1920’s.” In the interview, Maggie Smith also acknowledged Michael Gambon’s announcement on leaving theater due to memory loss. She said she was glad that he finally admitted it, as she had seen signs of this memory loss on the set of Harry Potter. Snitch Seeker reported from the Sunday Times:

“They say this is the last one, and I can’t see how it could go on,” Smith has told the Sunday Times, alluding to recent speculation that the hit ITV drama will come to an end after the sixth series.

“I mean, I certainly can’t keep going,” she continues. “To my knowledge, I must be 110 by now. We’re into the late 1920s.”

“It was about time [Michael Gambon] admitted it, because it was hair-raising doing things with him,” Dame Maggie told The Sunday Times. “Mind you, I defy anyone to learn Harry Potter-speak. It’d probably be easier for him to learn Shakespeare.”

Dame Maggie said she will continue working for as long as she is able. “When you’re not working it’s scary, and when you are working it’s scary, because you don’t know if you’ve got the energy to get through the day,” she said.

“But the bleakness of not doing it, and missing out on the friendships that you make, is too much to bear.”

Snitch Seeker also reminded us of Maggie Smith’s current project, the sequel to her successful The Best Marigold Hotel. The two YouTube trailers can be seen below.