‘Downton Abbey’ season 4 spoilers: Julian Fellowes on going on minus Dan Stevens

Nearly five months after his departure was confirmed from “Downton Abbey,” Dan Stevens remains a hot topic of conversation among many of the ITV series’ devoted fans. It wasn’t just the mere fact that the actor left the show that caused such a stir; it was also the way in which Matthew Crawley’s story ended. Rather than having the door left open for a potential return, he was killed almost out of nowhere in a shocking car accident during the closing seconds of the season 3 Christmas special.

Now, Julian Fellowes is speaking out yet again, and reminding us that he at least wanted to have Stevens around for one episode during the show’s fourth season. However, the show creator tells the Express in the UK that he just could not get the actor to change his mind at all:

“I had no choice … Dan would not stay — he was determined to go. Everyone liked him and thought he was fantastic. I tried to persuade him to come back just for one episode of the next series so we could give Matthew and Mary a happy ending but he wanted to go off to America … And now I believe he has a three-movie deal. He’s doing very well!”

We’ve said this before, that Stevens appears to have made the right choice for the time being when it comes to his career. Would it have been nice to see Matthew and Mary have a happy ending? Sure, but at the same time it would have been unfair for Michelle Dockery to have so little material while waiting around for Mary’s love interest to return to the show. At least now she has a juicy story to play about Mary’s recovery, and we know that there will be at least two suitors fighting for her heart over the course of the episodes ahead.

“Downton Abbey” is currently filming the fourth season, which will launch in the UK this fall. Meanwhile, you can also visit the link here read the latest on what some of the show’s stars are doing in their time off.

Photo: ITV