Paul Giamatti gets emotional on ‘Downtown Abbey’ return without Maggie Smith

Paul Giamatti, who is reprising his role as Harold Levinson in the Downtown Abbey sequel, opened up about getting back on set in the wake of Maggie Smith’s death.

The 57-year-old actor shared that Smith still feels a part of the cast and the actors haven’t been able to register that she is not there.

"It was not the same without her, but it felt very much like in her honor in some way. She certainly still feels present through the whole thing. Not having her there is obviously a huge loss, but everybody was still acting in her spirit," Giamatti told People Magazine.

The Sideways star added, "Working with her the first time around was one of the best things ever and I didn't even really get to do that much with her."

Downton Abbey will be making its final return for the third movie, titled, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, which comes out on September 12th.

The movie is bringing back many of the original cast members, including Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Laura Carmichael and Michelle Dockery, among others.

The franchise is also welcoming new actors including Alessandro Nivola and Joely Richardson for the upcoming movie.