Matthew Goode has addressed his absence from the third Downton Abbey film and confirmed that his next project will land on Netflix later this year.
The 47-year-old, who played Henry Talbot in the hit period drama, was notably missing from the second film, Downton Abbey: A New Era, released in 2022. He won’t appear in the final movie either, which is set for release in cinemas on 12 September.
Why Matthew isn’t in Downton Abbey 3
Speaking to Radio Times, Matthew said he was unavailable for both sequels due to other commitments.
"For the second [film], I was doing The Offer," he explained. "For the third, I was shooting Dept. Q."
He also revealed an injury ruled him out: "I 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."
Matthew added: "Let’s face it, [Henry] was edging towards becoming a bit of a wet lettuce. So maybe it’s a good thing."
© Nick Briggs, Carnival FilmsFinal Downton Abbey film details
Imelda Staunton, who plays Lady Maud Bagshaw, previously confirmed the third movie would be the last.
"There will be the final film – there you go," she told BBC Radio 2 last March.
The film was shot at Highclere Castle in summer 2024 and is expected to be an emotional farewell. It will also acknowledge the loss of Dame Maggie Smith, who died in September 2023, aged 89.
Gareth Neame, the film’s executive producer, said: "The loss of the Dowager, it now feels far more significant that you see actors playing characters mourning the family matriarch. But I also see actors mourning the matriarch of the show."
Matthew leads Dept. Q's cast on Netflix
Instead of returning to the Crawleys, Matthew is leading a new Netflix crime drama. He plays Carl Morck, a gruff English detective working in Edinburgh. The eight-part series Dept. Q premieres on 29 May 2025.
The role marks a reunion with The Queen’s Gambit creator Scott Frank, who wrote and directed much of the series.
"Matthew just felt like this guy," Scott told Tudum. "He would lend this undeniable intelligence with his flintiness."
Matthew then added: "This is the second time he’s given me a role I don’t think anybody else would’ve cast me in."
© Jamie Simpson/NetflixWhat Dept. Q is about
Dept. Q follows Carl, a once-decorated officer haunted by a tragic shooting that left a colleague dead and another paralysed.
After returning to work, he’s reassigned to lead a new unit – Department Q – handling cold cases. It’s part punishment, part PR stunt.
As he delves into the files, Carl uncovers dark secrets across Scotland – and builds an unlikely team along the way.
"It’s not the situation that makes you watch," said Frank. "It’s these people."
Who else stars in Dept. Q
Joining Matthew in the cast are Chloe Pirrie as Merritt Lingard, Jamie Sives as James Hardy, Mark Bonnar as Stephen Burns, and Leah Byrne as Rose Dickson.
The line-up also includes Kate Dickie as Moira Jacobson, Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim, Kelly Macdonald as Dr Rachel Irving, and Shirley Henderson as Claire Marsh.
Matthew was full of praise for the ensemble: "Scott assembled one of the finest casts I’ve ever gotten to work with." He added, "Leah Byrne is a stone-cold star. I felt like I’ve known Jamie for a long time. Alexej is joy, pure joy, capital J."
While the original books by Jussi Adler-Olsen were set in Denmark, the series moves the action to Scotland.
"I hadn’t really seen a show in Edinburgh before," Frank explained. "It’s the perfect combination between the modern and the medieval."
Matthew then joked: "Because of me, the main character is going to be English, not Scottish… he takes it out on everyone else because his ex-wife was Scottish."
Dept. Q premieres on Netflix on 29 May 2025, and Downton Abbey 3 lands in UK cinemas on 12 September.
