George Clooney On ‘Downton Abbey’: What’s The Scoop On The Actor’s Appearance?
There has been buzz about George Clooney stopping in to visit the Downton Abbey crowd, and now fans can finally see just how it was all put together. While fans would love to see the actor take on a real, long-lasting role on the series, that’s not going to be the case. Rather, it’s just a brief sketch to support a charity fundraiser.
As Entertainment Tonight shares, the George Clooney and Downton Abbey combination is in support of Text Santa. This is a British charity that raises money throughout the holidays. The effort supports six different charities this season including Alzheimer’s Society, Guide Dogs, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Teenage Cancer Trust, Together for Short Lives, and WellChild.
What is Clooney’s involvement in this year’s Text Santa fundraiser? He joined Downton Abbey stars Elizabeth McGovern and Lily James, who play Cora Crawley and Lady Rose, for the one-time skit. It seems he is mistaken by Cora for her husband, Lord Grantham. George turns and smiles, and the clip then cuts to the details for the fundraiser.
It seems that Clooney and Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham, have been friends since starring together in The Monuments Men. George is also said to be a fan of the show, so it makes sense that he’d step in to help the network generate some buzz for their holiday fundraising campaign.
According to People, the hopes of viewers are dashed in that Clooney isn’t starring at all on the show itself. The skit will air on ITV, but not on PBS in the United States. The annual Text Santa special airs on ITV on December 19.
As for the annual Downton Abbey Christmas special, Radio Times shares a few spoilers. It airs on Christmas Day, and it seems there will be snow and holiday cheer. There will be no sudden deaths, McGovern teased, but Bonneville said that viewers will be left with lumps in their throats.
The Downton Abbey Christmas special will be nice and heartwarming, but there will be a sad note at the end. It seems there may well be a big goodbye for the Crawleys to face. Is Tom Branson bidding Downton farewell? It seems that might be the case, but it also sounds as if the door would remain open for him to return. Whether he stays or goes, Tom’s decision apparently will be made in the Christmas special.
While George Clooney’s Downton Abbey appearance won’t be the type that fans can necessarily get too wild-and-crazy over, it is a fun clip. Follow along with the Text Santa fundraiser for more fun and tune in to the Downton Christmas special airing in the U.K. on Christmas. Downton Abbey premieres on PBS in the U.S. on Sunday, January 4.
[Image via Hello Magazine]
