Coming off her recent Golden Globe win for “Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series,” Downton Abbey‘s Maggie Smith will return for a fourth season on the hit television show that’s sweeping the globe.
The news was confirmed by Downton Abbey executive producer Gareth Neame to TVLine. Last summer Abbey creator Julian Fellowes was unsure if Smith would return for a fourth season.
“I can’t tell you, ‘Oh, yes, she’s definitely contracted [for Season 4] — because she isn’t,” Fellowes had reported to TVLine. “It’s entirely up to her when she stays and when she goes.”
“With Maggie, you never know,” he continued. “Other [actors] sign on for the next series and they sign for this and they sign for that, but she doesn’t. She stays her own person. But as far as I’m concerned, I hope she stays with the show until Downton falls down.”
Now that Smith has confirmed her return, all of the show’s major cast members are confirmed for a fourth season.
SPOILER ALERT: Jessica Brown Findlay and Dan Stevens will not return for a fourth season as their characters Sybil and Matthew are killed off during the show’s third season.
