“Matthew Goode Breaks Silence on His Downton Abbey Exit — Why He Won’t Return as Henry Talbot in The Grand Finale and What’s Next for Him in Netflix’s Dept. Q.”

Matthew Goode Says He’s at Peace With His ‘Downton Abbey’ Absence: “I’m sure it will come to an appropriate end”

Matthew Goode has nothing but affection for the world of Downton Abbey — even if he won’t be stepping back into Highclere Castle for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. With the final film preparing to close the curtain on one of television’s most beloved sagas, fans have wondered whether every character would return for a farewell. But Henry Talbot, Lady Mary’s dashing second husband, won’t be among them.

Speaking with Collider while promoting his upcoming Netflix series Dept. Q, Goode addressed his absence with characteristic humor and calm. He admitted he hasn’t read the script and doesn’t expect any grand sendoff, but he’s fine with that.

“They might [mention Henry]. I don’t know. It was only a half a page scene. I think I had one line in it. But I actually think it could be a blessing,” he explained. “Lady Mary is a pillar of modern feminism now. That’s what people tell me. So, it might be quite nice if she doesn’t need a man at the end… Or maybe somebody from the past may come up. Or maybe there will be a woman. Or maybe a real stallion comes into her life. I know that they had a great time making it. I’m sure it will come to an appropriate end, and everyone will be very happy about it.”

Goode first appeared in Downton Abbey Season 6 as the charming race car driver who swept Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) into a second marriage. But while his arrival initially thrilled viewers, his role in the subsequent films was little more than a cameo — leaving fans puzzled by the character’s near invisibility. For Goode, though, there’s no bitterness, only warmth for the franchise as it reaches its swan song.

Instead, his focus now is on Dept. Q, Netflix’s upcoming nine-episode crime drama adapted from Jussi Adler-Olsen’s bestselling Danish novels. In the series, Goode stars as DCI Carl Morck, a brilliant yet haunted detective relegated to a cold case unit after a traumatic incident. Joined by a small team — including Kelly Macdonald, Chloe Pirrie, and Alexej Manvelov — Morck dives into unsolved mysteries, beginning with the disappearance of a government official.

Dept. Q premieres May 29 on Netflix, while Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale arrives in theaters September 12 — with or without Henry Talbot.