Read (and listen to) an exclusive excerpt from the icon’s memoir “Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?” about her wild time as M in the Bond films. Judi Dench has never been one to mince words. And in her new memoir “Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?”, out Nov. 3 from St.
Martin’s Press, the Oscar-winning icon of stage and screen opens up about the highs and lows of her storied career via a wide-ranging conversation with actor and director Brendan O’Hea. In this exclusive excerpt from Dench’s memoir, the 91-year-old actress gets candid about her time playing M, James Bond’s MI5 boss, in eight Bond films beginning with 1995’s “GoldenEye” and ending in 2012’s “Skyfall,” where her character was killed off (she then had a very brief cameo in “Spectre.”) Oh, no doubt. The producers wanted to reflect the times, and quite right, too.
But I wasn’t trying to be Stella Rimington, although I’m sure people will have drawn that comparison. (I only met her once – briefly in 2023. She and I were meant to have dinner together a few months before she died, but sadly we never managed it.) I loved playing M because it was great to be able to tell all those men where to get off; put them in their place. I also got to wear some very nice suits and pretend I knew what I was talking about; and to muck about with gadgets when, in real life, I can’t even work the ironing board.Listen to Judi Dench narrating the section here: Yes, she’s there to give Bond the mission and the audience the story, and to run the joint – or to look like she runs the joint.
But I approached her as I would any part – by filling in what I imagined her past might have been. The audience don’t need to know any of that backstory, but it gives you a foundation and the confidence to step out in front of the camera. There are certain things we do know about her: she’s operating in a man’s world and must’ve overcome a lot of barriers and worked very hard to get to where she is.
She’s tough, direct, no-nonsense. She’s respected by a lot of people and she’s comfortable in authority. Over the course of eight films – and as dictated by the various plots – I learnt more about her.
She studied law at Oxford, has two daughters, enjoys a glass of whisky. In “Casino Royale”I suddenly discovered I was married, because there’s a scene where I’m lying in bed next to my husband. By the time we reach “Skyfall” I’m a widow, and have found out my late husband was a man who loved poetry.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
