Downton Abbey Star Matthew Goode Opens Up About Missing Out on Latest Film
According to a report from Radio Times, Matthew Goode has spoken about his absence from the latest Downton Abbey film, revealing that he was unavailable due to commitments to another project and a knee injury.
In an interview, Goode explained: "I was unavailable for the second because I was doing The Offer. Then [for the third] I was shooting this. But I also buggered my knee, and I had to have an operation. That takes weeks to get over, so I was never going to be able to do it. And let’s face it, he was edging towards becoming a bit of a wet lettuce. So maybe it’s a good thing."
Goode, who played the role of Matthew Crawley in the original Downton Abbey TV series and the first film in 2019, had married Mary (played by Michelle Dockery) and the pair had a happy ending – but fans were left to imagine what happened next, as Goode didn’t appear in the most recent film.
The third film, titled Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, is set to be released in UK cinemas on September 12, 2025, and will feature many of the beloved cast members reprising their roles, including Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, and Jim Carter.
A number of new faces will also be joining the cast, including Paul Giamatti, Joely Richardson, and Alessandro Nivola. The film has been billed as the final outing for the Downton Abbey franchise.
In other news, Goode is set to star in a new Scottish crime drama, Department Q, on Netflix. Based on the series of 10 novels by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, the show follows Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck, a brilliant but difficult cop who is exiled to a cold case unit.
The synopsis for the new drama reads: "DCI Carl Morck is a brilliant cop but a terrible colleague. His razor-sharp sarcasm has made him no friends in Edinburgh police. After a shooting that leaves a young pc dead, and his partner paralysed, he finds himself exiled to the basement and the sole member of Department Q; a newly formed cold case unit."
As Radio Times previously reported, Goode’s character, Matthew Crawley, had a significant storyline in the original series, and his absence from the latest film will likely be felt by fans.
The full cast list for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale includes: Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Robert James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Penelope Wilton, Lesley Nicol, Michael Fox, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sophie McShera, Douglas Reith, Dominic West, Paul Giamatti, Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale, and Arty Froushan.
All seasons of Downton Abbey are available to stream on ITVX, and fans can stay up to date with the latest news and updates from the show by following Radio Times.
