Hugh Bonneville has ruled out a return to two of his most beloved roles in Paddington and Downton Abbey, saying: “It’s a younger man’s job, but you can get other actors in.”
Sharing the news that he is unlikely to return to the Paddington franchise as Mr Brown, Bonneville also opened up on his future as Downton Abbey’s Robert Crawley following last year’s release of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.
Speaking to Saga Magazine, the actor said he was getting too old to reprise the role of Mr Brown and when asked by the publication if he would revisit Paddington, Bonneville said: “I don’t think so. I really don’t. I’ve loved it, but I’m getting on a bit.”
He added: “It’s a younger man’s job, but you can get other actors in and it will work just as well, because it’s all about the bear.”
On the future of Downton, Bonneville also ruled out a return as the Earl of Grantham in the hugely popular ITV period drama, saying: “I wouldn’t be surprised if they make some sort of spin-off, but no, our company has left the building.
StudioCanal
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“The Grand Finale really was a farewell. As we came towards the end of filming, I would take a look around each set – let’s say the library – for the last time, so that I would be able to remember.
“I feel enormous love for Downton. Every single day a message comes through about what it meant to someone, so I’m enormously proud… and it was a springboard for me meeting the bear (Paddington).”
Rory Mulvey//Universal
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Following the release of the first Paddington movie back in 2014, Bonneville went on to star in its subsequent sequels in 2017 and 2024.
With a fourth film in the works to mark the 70th anniversary of the beloved bear, it’s highly unlikely that Bonneville will be making an appearance given his recent remarks.
Confirming a fourth film last year, Studiocanal CEO and Canal+ Deputy CEO Anna Marsh said: “There will be a fourth film. We’re thinking about the next movies and we’re working on a new TV series as well as the stage show musical with Sonia Friedman and Eliza Lumley.”
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.