❚ We may earn commission from links on this page. Our editorial is always independent (learn more).

Watch Dame Maggie Smith talk Harry Potter & Downton at the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival 2017

"I led a perfectly normal life until Downton Abby."

Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey: A New Era

Focus Features/YouTube

Published: Saturday, 28 September 2024 at 8:30 pm

Subscribe to Radio Times – 5 weeks for £2

The late Dame Maggie Smith discusses her incredible career in this interview from BFI & Radio Times Television Festival 2017.

Ad

The Oscar-winning star of stage and screen has passed away, aged 89.

Smith was born in Ilford, Essex, in 1932 and left school aged 16 to study acting at the Oxford Playhouse.

She went on to have an illustrious and varied career spanning more than 60 years, appearing in films such as The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, A Lady in the Van and Gosford Park.

But it was her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in seven of the eight Harry Potter films between 2001 and 2011 that gave her global recognition.

Smith then landed another career-elevating role as the Dowager Countess of Grantham in ITV’s hit period drama, Downton Abbey, which ran from 2010 to 2015.

Asked in her interview at BFI & Radio Times Television Festival 2017, about this increased recognition, she said: “It’s ridiculous. I led a perfectly normal life until Downton Abby. No I’m not kidding. I mean, I’d go to theatres, I’d go to galleries and things like that on my own, and now I can’t."

She continued: "And that’s, you know, awful. The Fulham Road's dodgy, let alone– It's truly television. I mean I've been working around for a very, very long time before Downton Abbey and you know, life was fine, nobody knew who the hell I was. It has changed – never mind, eh?"

You can watch the interview right here:

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as YouTube may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow YouTube and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Smith also opened up about her lack of interest in watching her performance in Downton Abbey, saying: “I haven’t seen it. It got to a point when it was too late to catch up.”

Asked whether she had seen the odd clip at awards ceremonies, she responded: "Yes, you’re forced to. It’s always weird, of course it’s weird."

Meanwhile, asked to recall the most tormented thing she ever did, Smith remembered a time during the filming of Harry Potter when she was trapped in a trailer in the snow "for about a week with that daft hat on my head".

"And sitting in that trailer day after day and not being used, that doesn’t make you feel that jolly. That was a horrid thing," she continued.

"But there were other people in the trailer also moaning like Miriam Margolyes. You’re not alone when you moan."

Ad

Looking for something else to watch? Visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

RadioTimes.com senior trends writer Molly Moss. She is sitting outside wearing a black top, holding a white teacup with a smily face on it to her mouth

Molly MossTrends Writer

Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.

Ad

Ad

Get the Christmas double issue

Too much to watch at Christmas? Let Radio Times do the choosing to find something the whole family will enjoy.

Subscribe by 3 Dec

Loading...

Ad

Loading...