There’s another Downton Abbey shocker to report today: one actress has revealed she won’t be coming back for series 4. Spoiler warning!
The actress in question is Siobhan Finneran, known to viewers as Sarah O’Brien (servant to Lady Grantham). “I’m not doing any more,” she told The Mirror in a quick interview bit released today. “O’Brien is a thoroughly despicable human being — that was great to play.”
TV Line says that her departure will be noted on the show but take place off screen. There is believed to be a 6-month time gap in between series 3 and 4.
Despite her negative attitude, we always enjoyed O’Brien’s presence on the show and we’ll absolutely miss her. Who will take care of Lady Grantham now?
Finneran isn’t the only cast member to want to leave. Jessica Brown Findlay (Sybil) and Dan Stevens (Matthew) both were written out, and their departure was created via untimely deaths.
If there’s one problem with Downton Abbey, it’s that the huge cast makes it feel like the actors and actresses are dropping more often than on regular television shows. Unlike Sybil and Matthew, O’Brien may simply get a new job rather than die unexpectedly. No matter what happens, we won’t see it because series 3 was Finneran’s last.
Our opinion on these departing cast: we wish they’d appreciate the huge success of the show more and ride it out for at least a few more seasons. Stevens appeared to be afraid to be typecast or let the show take up too much of his time. While understandable, this may’ve been the gig of his lifetime. The show has seen growing ratings in both the United States and United Kingdom.
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