United Kingdom, Aug. 18 -- Elizabeth McGovern found the late Dame Maggie Smith's absence from the new Downton Abbey film "freed up the narrative".

The 64-year-old actress had been worried that losing her co-star - who died in September 2024 aged 89 - would be a huge loss to Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale but she felt the screen legend's presence "permeated" the entire film and her essence was a part of every scene.

Elizabeth - who plays Cora Crawley - told The Guardian newspaper: "She's still very much in the atmosphere. 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.

"But everything she represents is there. She's in every ...