“The first time I met Maggie Smith I was nine years old and we were reading scenes for David Copperfield, which was my first job,” Harry Potter alum detailed in a statement. “I knew next to nothing about her other than my parents were impressed that I was going to be working with her. The other thing I knew about her was that she was a Lady, so the first thing I asked her when we met was ‘Do you want me to call you Lady?’ whereupon she laughed and said something like ‘don’t be ridiculous!'”

Daniel went on to detail his long-term relationship with the beloved star.

“I remember being nervous to meet her and she immediately put me at ease,” he added. “She was incredibly kind to me during that shoot, and after that I was lucky enough to continue working with her for another ten years on the Harry Potter movies. She had a fierce intellect, a wonderfully sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm at the same time and was, as anyone will tell you, extremely funny. I will always consider myself incredibly lucky to have been able to work with her and spend time with her on set. The word legend is overused, but if it applies to anyone in our industry, it applies to her. Thanks Maggie.”