Downton Abbey's Maggie Smith uses the Dowager's cane to protect her personal space
All hail the Dowager Countess, just don’t get all up in her personal space or risk getting whacked by her cane.
Maggie Smith, who portrays the feisty Dowager in the Downton Abbey movie, had to teach a member of the film’s production staff where her boundaries are. The dame’s co-stars Elizabeth McGovern and Allen Leech opened up about a particular incident that happened with an assistant director on set while chatting with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live on Friday.
“Literally, she would have the cane there and, as she would see him coming she would go, ‘Here he f—ing comes,’” Leech says while laughing. “Then, before the poor guy could get too close, Smith would thrust the cane out to form a physical barrier saying, ‘That’s far enough, that’s far enough!'”
No matter what was going on behind the scenes, the entire team behind the film can celebrate a huge opening weekend. They beat Ad Astra and Rambo: Last Blood making $31 million.
Downton Abbey the movie is in theaters now.
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