Diksha Sundriyal
Directed by Simon Curtis, ‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’ serves as the final chapter in the story of the Crawleys and their staff. Written by Julian Fellowes, the film follows the family through a turbulent time, especially as they try to find their footing in the modern world. While they, particularly Lady Mary, go through a series of challenging situations, their support for each other helps them survive whatever comes their way. For Lady Mary, her lady’s maid Anna has been a very important figure since the beginning, and she continues to be so till the end. Anna’s pregnancy is an important part of her storyline in the grand finale. Interestingly, the actress who plays the role had a hand in creating that arc for the character.
Joanne Froggatt’s Pregnancy Led to the Plotline of Anna’s Pregnancy
Joanne Froggatt, who plays Anna Bates in ‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,’ was actually pregnant while filming the movie. Her character, Anna, who already had a child with Mr. Bates, was not supposed to be pregnant in the initial drafts of the film. However, with filming set to begin, Froggatt shared the news of her pregnancy with the show’s producers, knowing that her baby bump would be visible in the coming months. Instead of finding ways to hide it from the audience, she suggested it be written into the storyline. She noted that having a second child would expand Anna and Mr. Bates’ family and would be a perfect happy ending for them.
Julian Fellowes, the writer and creator of ‘Downton Abbey,’ loved the idea, and so, Froggatt’s pregnancy was incorporated into Anna’s storyline. According to the movie’s timeline, Anna had to be heavily pregnant. However, at the beginning of the filming, Froggatt was still in the early stages of her pregnancy. To maintain the continuity of the character, a prosthetic bump was used to increase the bump’s size. Over the weeks, as the actress’ bump increased naturally, the prosthetic’s size was steadily reduced until it was no longer needed. By the end of the filming, Froggatt was 38 weeks pregnant, including in the final scene where we see her and Mr. Bates cradling their newborn baby.
The actress revealed that being pregnant while pretending to hold a newborn baby was a very eye-opening moment for her, as it made her conscious about the fact that she was going to have her real baby soon. She gave birth to her first child in September 2024, welcoming motherhood just as gracefully as her character, Anna. Froggatt revealed that bringing her real-life pregnancy to inform the storyline of the character she played for fifteen years felt like a full-circle moment. She expressed her love for the character as well as the show’s cast, revealing how emotionally heavy it was for them to say goodbye to their characters after all these years. Still, at the end of the day, they were all happy with the way the story concluded and how everyone found their own version of happiness by the end.
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