Judi Dench has never been one to mince words. On November 3, St. In his new memoir, “Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?”, published by Martin’s Press, St. Released from Martin’s Press, the Oscar-winning stage and screen icon reflects on the highs and lows of his storied career through a wide-ranging conversation with actor and director Brendan O’Hea.
In this exclusive excerpt from Dench’s memoir, the 91-year-old actress candidly reflects on her time playing James Bond’s MI5 boss M in eight Bond films, starting with 1995’s “GoldenEye” and ending with 2012’s “Skyfall,” in which her character was killed off (she later had a very brief role in “Spectre”).
I assume the decision to have a female M was inspired by Stella Rimington becoming head of MI5 in 1992.
Oh, no doubt. The filmmakers wanted to reflect the times, very accurately. But I wasn’t trying to to be Stella Rimington, I’m sure people will make that comparison. (I only met him once, briefly in 2023. He and I had planned to have dinner together a few months before he died, but unfortunately we never made it out.)
I loved playing M because it was great to be able to tell all these guys where to land; put them in their place. “You’re a sexist, misogynist dinosaur,” she tells Pierce Brosnan during their first meeting. I was drunk with power. I also had to wear very nice suits and act like I knew what I was talking about; and messing around with tools when you can’t even operate an ironing board in real life.
Listen to Judi Dench narrating the episode here:
How did you approach playing someone like M because he was ostensibly an official, right?
Yes, he is there to give Bond the mission, the audience the story, and to run the business, or appear to run the business. But somehow I approached it that way; filling in what I imagined his past was. The audience doesn’t need to know this back story, but it gives you a foundation and confidence to get in front of the camera.
There are some things we know about her: She operates in a man’s world and must have overcome many obstacles and worked hard to get where she is. He’s tough, direct and no-nonsense. Many people respect him and are comfortable with authority.
I learned more about him over the course of eight films and as various events demanded it. He studied law at Oxford, has two daughters and loves a glass of whiskey. In “Casino Royale,” I suddenly discovered that I was married because there was a scene where I was lying in bed next to my husband. By the time we reached “Skyfall,” I was now a widow and learned that my late husband was a man who loved poetry.
When M dies, Bond is given a box that he bequeathed to him. There’s a tag underneath that reads: “Olivia Mansfield.” I like that his real name isn’t revealed until the final moments of the movie. My middle name is Olivia; I wonder where they got this idea?
What was it like playing a recurring character on a major franchise?
To begin with, this particular series is truly a family affair because the producers, Barbara [Broccoli] and Michael [G. Wilson]They are brothers. They really know how to take care of you and are so kind to everyone, which makes you want to do the best for them. They’re also very good at keeping the same crew, so it feels like a company. Every time you come to set for a new movie you find so many familiar faces, like Naomi Dunne who did my makeup. And then you see some of the same actors, like Pierce and Daniel.
My enjoyment often depended on the script; especially if there’s a chance to show another side of the character.
He also trusted the director. I loved working with Michael Apted and Martin Campbell. In contrast, I found my time on “Tomorrow Never Dies” more challenging; There was a lot of rewriting. Making a movie is frustrating enough – at least for me – and being faced with a ton of rewrites at the last minute is very destabilizing: there are whole new piles of information to learn – not to mention new lines to learn – that you don’t have time to review.
Every day we were presented with new scenes. Once, when I arrived home at ten at night, I was greeted by a motorcycle courier with a dozen new pages to learn before being picked up at five the next morning. So, when will I get the chance to learn all this?
It’s not unusual for a movie to be rewritten, but the script for “Tomorrow Never Dies” seemed to be in a constant state of flux. This may not have been entirely the director’s fault – it could have had something to do with schedules and deadlines – but there seemed to be a general air of chaos. And it’s not like it was easy to learn. As M, most of what I had to say was very technical and sometimes I didn’t know what I was talking about.
Judi Dench as M in “Tomorrow Never Dies” (1997).
©Courtesy of United Artists/Everett Collection
Who is your favorite Bond?
It is impossible to answer this. I’ll always have a soft spot for Sean [Connery] because it was original, but the nice thing was that both Pierce and Daniel really made it their own. They each have a great sense of humor and can be self-deprecating, which I find very attractive in life and think is an essential quality for Bond.
I like how the character is built around the actor; So much so that I can’t imagine anyone else playing this role. When I first played M, Bond was sweet and elegant. He would order his martinis and get through fights almost effortlessly; He emerged with barely a scratch on his face or a dent in his Savile Row suit. Then gradually – over the course of the eight films I made – Bond became a dirtier, more realistic and, I think, less fantastical figure. I don’t think the scripts are as witty as they used to be, which is perhaps a shame. but then the character moves on; Bond reflects the times.
And in 2012, we last saw you in the role of M in “Skyfall”.
Not exactly; I also made a small cameo in the sequel “Spectre”, where I had to appear on the television screen and it took no more than an hour to shoot. But I’m still sulking that they killed me, and that’s why I never watched the movie. [Laughs.]
When did you find out you were being changed to M?
I was taken to Wolseley restaurant by Barbara, Michael and Sam [Mendes, the director] – I don’t think Daniel Craig was there – and they outlined the script and told me they were going to blow me off. I guess it’s my fault. The entire film crew traveled to Monte Carlo and St. Ever since “Golden Eye” when he left for St. Petersburg and I had only three days left at Watford, I had been begging them to let me out from behind my desk. Finally they let me out from behind my desk. . . and they shot me. [Laughs.] Apparently it was Daniel’s idea to have me killed. But first I had to endure the indignity of being fired by Ralph Fiennes. Asshole. [Laughs.]
It was reported in the press that I was crying when they told me that someone else would replace me. Of course I didn’t cry. Why should I cry, after twenty glorious years and eight Bond films, that’s one more than Roger Moore, the longest-running 007 to date.