Masterpiece:

Speaking of friendship, sadly, as the world recently lost an icon of stage and screen in Maggie Smith, so have you lost a dear friend. Can you share any lasting impressions about working with her Downton Abbeywhich our viewers value so much and in the early days of your friendship, when you worked together for the first time in Edward Albee’s film. Three tall women?

Samantha Bond:

I will do my best. So I first worked with Mags when I was, well, about 30 years ago, so I was 33 or 34 and I’m about to turn 63. And I did Edward Albee’s brilliant. Three tall women in which I played her younger role. And it’s kind of amazing to work with someone like Maggie. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, it’s like being on a stage with a thoroughbred and feeling a bit like a donkey on the beach with a hat on. And every sinew in your body strives to be the best you can be, so that she can be as brilliant as she is.

While we were doing Three tall womenmy mother was diagnosed with cancer and Maggie could not have been more supportive, loving and wise. And I know people talk about how she could be sharp—and she could be sharp, and her sense of comedy and satire was sharp. It wasn’t good to be on the wrong side, but if you weren’t on the wrong side, it was magical.

And when we got to DowntonI had a shorthand. I’ve played that relationship before. She was very, very funny. There are some magical moments, as your audience knows Downton. One of my favorite moments is when he sits on a chair that suddenly spins, which at the time would have been really unusual. And I said, “Did you put that on?” And she said, “No, that was in the script. just me played it.” Which she did.

And then for the last few years I’ve been chairman of a theater charity here (Royal Theater Fundwhich was started by Charles Dickens), and she was one of our vice-presidents. But after COVID, which I think Mags found very, very difficult, he would come to monthly meetings and we would have lunch quite often. One of our other vice presidents is Derek Jacobi, and they met when they were in their 20s. As you say, it’s a big loss.