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Matthew Goode brands Downton Abbey character a ‘wet lettuce’ in brutally honest take© ITV

Matthew Goode brands Downton Abbey character a 'wet lettuce' in brutally honest take

The actor got honest about his Downton Abbey role

Edward Lauder
Senior online reporter
June 8, 2025
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Matthew Goode has opened up about his decision not to return for the final Downton Abbey film.

The actor, 47, played Henry Talbot during series five and six and later reprised the role in the first film.

However, Matthew will not appear in the upcoming third and final film, set for release this September.

Speaking to Radio Times, he said his character had become a "wet lettuce".

Comments clarified

matthew goode downton© Shutterstock
Downton Abbey's Matthew Goode plays DCI Carl Morck

Matthew later clarified his remarks in a new interview.

He told Metro: "I didn’t mean it in a horribly derogatory way. I just meant actually, wouldn’t it be more exciting if [Lady Mary] didn’t need a man so she might end up on her own?"

He added: "Some people look up to her as a modern feminist or a pillar of modern feminism."

His character, Henry, married Michelle Dockery's Lady Mary in the series finale.

Not part of the ending

Matthew Goode in Downton Abbey© ITV
Matthew Goode in Downton Abbey

While Matthew won’t return, he did suggest ideas for how Lady Mary’s story could end.

He said: "I would hope that, if she does have a happy ending, maybe one of her earlier suitors could come back and whisk her off."

He also hinted: "Maybe it could be something surprising other than good old Henry."

Matthew did not read the script for the third film.

He explained that scheduling and health issues prevented him from taking part.

Conflicting projects and knee surgery

Dept Q stars Matthew Goode and Alexej Manvelov
Dept Q stars Matthew Goode and Alexej Manvelov

Matthew was filming the new Netflix series Dept. Q at the time.

He plays Carl Morck, a detective moved into a cold case unit.

He also revealed he was recovering from knee surgery during production.

He told Radio Times: "I was unavailable for the second because I was doing The Offer. Then [for the third] I was shooting this [Dept. Q]. 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."

He did not appear in the second film, Downton Abbey: A New Era, for the same reason.

Returning cast and a major absence

Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael and Allen Leech at a premiere© WireImage
Downton Abbey's third film will be released later this year

The third film will see the return of several major cast members.

Michelle, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Laura Carmichael, Joanne Froggatt, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Lesley Nicol, and Penelope Wilton are all back.

But Dame Maggie Smith’s Violet Crawley will not feature.

The Dowager Countess was written out at the end of the last film.

Honouring Dame Maggie Smith

Hugh Bonneville and Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey© ITV
Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey

Since then, Maggie has sadly died.

Executive producer Gareth Neale has shared that the film will pay tribute to her and her character.

Speaking to TV Line, he said: "The fact that Dame Maggie herself has now passed away since that time, I do think, has given a real added poignancy to a story that we would have planned anyway."

He added: "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, and it feels more genuine and more meaningful."

The third Downton Abbey film will be released in cinemas on 13 September.

WATCH: The trailer for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

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