By Sophia Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief
On Sept. 27, people around the world were devastated to wake up to the news that actress Maggie Smith had passed away peacefully at age 89.
Through her exceptional on-screen storytelling from “Harry Potter” to “Downton Abbey,” Smith touched the hearts of many, including those here at Saint Leo.
Most will know Smith from her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series. Though she was a bit old for the role, that didn’t seem to matter. To the fans, Smith was McGonagall.
“Though she didn’t meet the description of McGonagall from the book, she played the part so that I could never imagine another inhabiting the role,” said Kathryn Duncan, Professor of English. “She perfectly embodied that combination of McGonagall’s exacting and demanding nature combined with compassion and kindness.”
Duncan also teaches the Harry Potter class at Saint Leo University. She shared that the first time she offered that class, students cast her as Professor McGonagall.
“Maybe that’s part of my sense of connection because that was such a compliment in my mind,” said Duncan.
Fans may also remember Smith from her role in the popular television series, “Downton Abbey.” Smith played Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Her one-liners and snarky humor were a standout in the series.
“She took a character who could have been unlikeable but made her human, letting viewers see that hint of tenderness and the wit underneath,” said Duncan.
Heaven Nazario, a junior majoring in English, shared that Smith’s role in Downton Abbey is her favorite performance.
“I was first introduced to the show in high school, and Violet soon became one of my favorite characters,” said Nazario. “She was witty and unbothered, and I loved that she just took that character and made it her own.”
If there’s one thing fans of Smith can agree on, it’s that she knew how to truly embody a character, make them her own, and convey that to her wide audience.
“I think Maggie Smith was such a brilliant artist that she made her parts become human to me,” said Duncan. “So, I feel as if, in a way, I lost someone I know.”
