Dame Maggie Smith’s death: Harry Potter team pays tribute

Harry Potter and Oscar-winning actor Maggie Smith died on Friday, September 27. She was 89. The team of Harry Potter paid their heartfelt tribute to Smith who played the role of Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series.
Radcliffe fondly remembered his time working with the “incredibly kind” Maggie Smith during his first role in David Copperfield. In a statement, the actor said, “The first time I met Maggie Smith I was 9 years old and we were reading through scenes for David Copperfield, which was my first job. I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her. The other thing I knew about her was that she was a Dame, so the first thing I asked her when we met was ‘would you like me to call you Dame?’ at which she laughed and said something to the effect of ‘don’t be ridiculous!’.”
“I remember feeling nervous to meet her and then her putting me immediately at ease. She was incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the Harry Potter films. She was a fierce intellect, a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny. I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her and spend time around her on set. The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you, Maggie,” his statement added.
Emma Watson, who played the role of Hermione Granger in the popular series, shared an emotional note on her Instagram story. She shared a photo of them on the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and wrote, “When I was younger I had no idea of Maggie’s legend – the woman I was fortunate enough to share space with. It is only as I’ve become an adult that I’ve come to appreciate that I shared the screen with a true definition of greatness. She was real, honest, funny and self-honouring. Maggie, there were a lot of male professors and by God, you held your own. Thank you for all of your kindness. I’ll miss you (sic).”
Another Harry Potter actor, Bonnie Wright, who played the role of Ginny Weasley in all the eight films, shared a post for Maggie on Instagram along with a moving post. “Our dearly loved and revered head of Gryffindor house you will be so missed by the Harry Potter community. My favourite scene with Maggie was when we were all learning to dance for the Yule Ball. She embodied that perfect balance of sass and loving care that McGonagall has. She kept Gryffindors on their toes. My deepest condolences to Maggie’s family at this time (sic),” her post read.
Other than the Harry Potter team, her Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that “Maggie Smith was a truly great actress and we were more than fortunate to be part of the last act in her stellar career. She was a joy to write for, subtle, many-layered, intelligent, funny and heartbreaking. Working with her has been the greatest privilege of my career, and I will never forget her.”
Smith’s sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, said in a statement that Smith died early Friday in a London hospital.
Smith was frequently rated the preeminent British female performer of a generation that included Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench, with a clutch of Academy Award nominations and a shelf full of acting trophies.