Dame Judi Dench recalls being asked to play Ophelia
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The clock is ticking for the next James Bond actor to be announced by 007 executives. The newcomer follows Daniel Craig, who ended his journey after starring in five films, ending with No Time To Die.
Before Craig was killed off, however, Dame Judi Dench was.
Dame Judi first joined the James Bond franchise in 1995 when she began playing M opposite Pierce Brosnan’s 007.
Despite the actors around her changing between films – even Bond himself – Dame Judi remained a key part of the series. She continued to play M in the series for a total of eight James Bond films.
Dame Judi was eventually killed off in the 2012 movie Skyfall, bringing a close to M’s story.
But long before that, the iconic British actor was told to give up in the movie-making business.
Dame Judi revealed she was criticised for her “face” by a sexist industry executive.
“He was perfectly nice,” she said in a new interview. “But at the end he said: ‘You’ll never make a film. You have the wrong face.'”
Still, the actress had a sly response ready for the executive.
She replied: “That is fine, I don’t like film anyway. I want to go back to the theatre.” (Via Sunday Times)
The illustrious star eventually had the last laugh, however.
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On top of appearing in the James Bond series for eight movies – arguably one of the biggest franchises of all time – she was highly celebrated by critics.
Dame Judi won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in 1998’s Shakespeare in Love.
She has since been nominated for a number of other Oscars, as well. These included nominations for her performances in Mrs Brown, Chocolat, Iris, Mrs Henderson Presents, Notes on a Scandal, Philomena and Belfast.
The star even fell in love with playing M in the James Bond series.
In fact, when Dame Judi was wrapping up her final scenes in Skyfall, she was moved to tears.
She recalled: “I cried because we were told we were going to Scotland for three weeks.”
Things went very smoothly for the filming, however. Because of that: “We went one morning, we filmed, and we were back on the 7:30 plane that night.”
However, she did have some criticism about Craig’s version of Bond – which was vastly different from Brosnan’s effortlessly comical version of 007.
Dame Judi said at the time: “The script isn’t so funny, I know, I agree.”
Beyond Bond, she has been open about continuing her work for as long as she physically can.
“I just feel I have to keep doing it,” she said. “I never want to stop. I need to learn every day. I don’t question the curiosity. It’s like I love quizzes and things. Did you know what Nostradamus’s first name was? Michel! It’s not likely, is it?”
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