Michael Fox, known for his portrayal of Andy Parker on Downton Abbey, candidly shared that he has not completely moved on from an uncomfortable mishap involving Dame Maggie Smith while on set.
Fox’s character served as the footman to the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley, portrayed by Smith. Having joined the cast during the fifth season, He continued through to the sixth and final series and is expected to reprise his role in the upcoming third movie.
On Wednesday’s edition of BBC’s The One Show, host Clara Amfo took the opportunity to ask about his time playing Andrew Parker on the popular series.
He recounted a particularly memorable incident with Maggie Smith, who sadly died last September, which he says he will always remember, reports Surrey Live.
Clara commented, “Michael it would be rude of us not to speak about Downton Abbey. Now the film is due this year and it’s the third and final Downton movie, and as we know last year we sadly lost the late Dame Maggie Smith.”
She added, “Now when it comes to working with Maggie, you weren’t really the best footman for her in your character as Andy.”
Michael opened up, “You know, working with Maggie was an extraordinary thing and as a young actor coming in, I was a bit of a bag of nerves.”
He then confessed, “There was one moment on set where I basically nearly pulled her (Maggie) over completely.”
Reflecting on a mishap during filming, he shared: “I put a cloak on her and they said, ‘Can we go again?’ and I pulled the cloak and she nearly went over. Then she said, ‘Can we just sort out this bit with the purse?’ and I closed her fingers into the purse. I don’t think I fully got over that.”
The departure of Maggie’s character in the latest Downton Abbey film stirred emotions among its ardent followers.
Fans can look forward to Downton Abbey 3, set to premiere in September this year, which will see Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, and Michelle Dockery return alongside Phyllis Logan, Robert James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt, Penelope Wilton, and Lesley Nicol.
