One of the leading stars of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale shared her emotional response to the reported final installment of the Downton Abbey franchise. When the first episode of Downton Abbey premiered in 2010, no one could have predicted the success the ITV period drama would soon achieve. After producing six seasons, winning several Emmy and BAFTA awards, and releasing two theatrical hits, the stories of the Crawley family and their beloved household staff will soon come to an end in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.

Set in the 1930s, The Grand Finale will see the Crawleys learn to navigate life and the Downton estate without their wonderfully snarky matriarch, Violet Crawley (the late Dame Maggie Smith). Though little has been revealed about the film’s plot, star Joanne Froggatt, who portrays head housemaid Anna Bates, shared that Downton‘s upcoming release would provide a satisfying ending for both the cast and the show’s fans. During a recent interview with ScreenRant’s Grant Hermanns about her role in the MobLand season 1 finale, Froggatt revealed that she’d “cried her eyes out” when she saw the new Downton movie.

“Yeah, I was really satisfied. I actually cried my eyes out when I saw The Grand Finale. [Laughs] I properly wept for about 10 minutes, because of lots of reasons. Obviously, it’s the end of these characters, but also for us, it’s the end of playing these characters, and it’s the end of this incredible experience we’ve all lived together for 15 years on and off. So, for lots of reasons, it was a real full-circle moment, and it was very emotional, sentimental. I think the movie’s lovely, I think it’s really lovely. I think it’s exactly what people will want and hope from the finale.”

What We Can Expect From Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

It’s Time To Say Goodbye To This Compelling Family

Though Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes hasn’t completely ruled out a return to Downton, he has said he believes The Grand Finale will be the last Downton story involving the original cast (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline). As such, The Grand Finale will be an emotional bookend for all involved, including the show’s fans, as the film prepares to not only honor Violet Crawley and Maggie Smith’s legacies but say goodbye to one of the most beloved ensemble casts of the 21st century.

While exact plot details are still under wraps, the first teaser trailer for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale does suggest that this final goodbye might involve more than just saying farewell to these wonderful characters. The 1930s were a time of enormous economic upheaval; surely, even one of England’s wealthier families would also be affected. In the trailer, there’s a sH๏τ of Hugh Bonneville’s Lord Grantham putting his hands on Downton’s façade, as if to say goodbye. Will the family be forced to move on from the estate, just like the fans are?

Our Take On Downton Abbey’s Legacy

One Of The Most Impactful Period Dramas Ever Produced

Though the second Downton Abbey film, Downton Abbey: A New Era, largely provided a fun romp through the early 20th-century movie business – except for Violet’s death, of course – The Grand Finale will instead supply a bittersweet, heartwarming, lovely ending, and that’s all we can truly ask for. We’ve spent fifteen years with these characters, upstairs and downstairs, and I can’t wait to see where their choices and personal growth will take them next.

Downton essentially revived the popularity of the British period drama, and did so with surprising care and grace. The show’s meticulous attention to historical detail and carefully constructed plots, which bring together real-world societal changes and the characters’ personal struggles (on both sides of the stifling British class system), is second to none. Julian Fellowes created something truly special with Downton Abbey. Whatever the future holds, it’ll be tough to say goodbye to this version of the Crawley family’s household in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale arrives in theaters on September 12.