Matthew Goode has insisted that he didn’t mean to be “derogatory” about his Downton Abbey character while discussing his absence from the upcoming film.

The British actor confirmed that he would not appear as Henry Talbot, Lady Mary’s second husband, in the third film because he was busy filming his new Netflix series Dept Q at the time.

He added that it was probably for the best that Henry didn’t appear in the second and third films because he was becoming “a wet lettuce”.

After Downton Abbey fans were left unimpressed by the joke, Goode clarified what he meant in an interview with Metro.

“I didn’t mean it in a horribly derogatory way. I just meant actually, wouldn’t it be more exciting if (Lady Mary) didn’t need a man so she might end up on her own?” he explained. “Some people look up to her as a modern feminist or a pillar of modern feminism.”

Suggesting an ending for Michelle Dockery’s character, he added that her storyline could involve “something surprising other than good old Henry”.

“I would hope that, if she does have a happy ending, maybe one of her earlier suitors could come back and whisk her off,” he said.

Goode made his original quip when he discussed his absence from the films in an interview with Radio Times earlier this month.

“Let’s face it, he was edging towards becoming a bit of a wet lettuce,” he joked. “So maybe it’s a good thing.”

Goode played Henry for two seasons in the TV series and reprised the role in the 2019 film continuation.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, the third and final film, will once again star Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Joanne Froggatt, among others. It will be released in cinemas on 12 September.

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