Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary Crawley, posed with Downton Abbey co-stars Joanne Froggatt and Laura Carmichael at the New York City premiere afterparty for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale on Monday, days after she announced her pregnancy at the London premiere.
The 43-year-old actress arrived in a sparkling black, body-hugging gown that showcased her growing bump. On her left, Joanne Froggatt, 45, who portrays Anna Bates, wore a glittering strapless dress and strappy silver heels; on her right, Laura Carmichael, 39, who plays Lady Edith Crawley, appeared in a nude-toned ensemble accessorized with a black handbag. Elizabeth McGovern, 64, who plays Cora Crawley, attended the afterparty with her husband, director Simon Curtis.
The gathering assembled many familiar faces from the series on the red carpet. Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham, Allen Leech (Tom Branson), Paul Giamatti (Harold Levinson) and series creator Julian Fellowes were photographed at the event. The stars and creative team convened to mark the franchise’s conclusion after 15 years on television and a trilogy of films.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, which is set in 1930 and releases Sept. 12, takes place roughly 18 years after the series’ first episode. The film follows the Crawley family in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash and centers on Lady Mary’s scandalous divorce and questions over her eligibility to inherit the estate amid public scrutiny. The story also addresses the household’s financial challenges and generational changes at Downton.
The film is the first Downton project not to feature Dame Maggie Smith’s character, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, following the actress’ death last September; the production pays tribute to her role in the story.
Dockery’s appearance in New York came after she revealed her pregnancy during last week’s London premiere. She married producer Jasper Waller-Bridge in 2023; the couple had announced plans to marry in a notice in The Times in January 2022. Dockery was previously engaged to Irish publicist John Dineen, who died in 2015 after a battle with a rare form of cancer.
Creator Julian Fellowes, who attended the New York event with his wife, has used recent publicity to comment on British attitudes toward wealth. In an interview with Radio Times, he said Britain displays a “curious double standard” of resenting the rich while desiring wealth, and called it “ungenerous” not to admire people who have succeeded.
Promotional appearances for the film have included cast members making public appearances with partners and colleagues. Bonneville attended the London premiere with his girlfriend, Heidi Kadlecova, in a rare public outing. Other attendees at the New York premiere included Christine Baranski, producer Gareth Neame, and actors Alessandro Nivola and Taylor Richardson.
Downton Abbey debuted as a television series in 2010 and expanded into feature films in the years following. The Grand Finale aims to conclude long-running storylines while charting the next generation’s role at the estate as the characters confront social and financial change in the early 1930s.