NEED TO KNOW
Harry Hadden-Paton didn’t know the name of his Downton Abbey character until a very crucial scene.
Talking to PEOPLE exclusively at the Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale premiere in New York City on Monday, Sept 8, the actor reveals it wasn’t until his character Herbert’s wedding that the name finally clicked.
“I still have the program from my wedding, Bert and Edith’s wedding, which is kind of special,” he says. “And it’s how I learned my name. It says on the front of it. The marriage of Herbert and Edith, and I had no idea I was a Herbert. I always thought I was an Albert or something.”
Nick Briggs / Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited
Hadden-Paton plays the shy, unassuming, but titled Herbert “Bertie” Pelham, 7th Marquess of Hexham, who falls in love with and then marries Lady Edith Crawley, played by Laura Carmichael. Once they wed, Edith becomes the Marchioness of Hexham.
While Hadden-Paton, 44, kept a special memento from the pivotal scene, he notes that, despite his best efforts, he didn’t keep any clothes from the series.
“I stole a suit that was at the end of the series that they asked back as soon as we did the movie. They were like, ‘Can we have that suit back?’” he says. “And I was [grumpy face], and it was fine because I hadn’t worn it in all the time, like when was I going to wear a three-piece suit?”
Downton Abbey will close out the beloved upstairs-downstairs franchise with a third movie, aptly titled Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. In addition to Hadden-Paton and Carmichael, the film also stars Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Joanne Froggatt, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Lesley Nicol, Dominic West, Penelope Wilton and Paul Giamatti.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s and prepare for a new chapter for the family and the future of Downton.
Go behind the scenes of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale with PEOPLE’s new special issue, available here. The movie hit theaters Sept. 12.
