Judi Dench talks about James Bond films, her favorite 007, and how Daniel Craig was responsible for her role’s death: ‘They were going to bump me off’ALT Judi Dench says Daniel Craig is the one who decided to kill her character from James BondJudi Dench’s newly released memoir, ‘Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?’, delves deep into her career in the industry, the struggles she faced over the years, and how some of her most iconic roles came to be. One of the things that the veteran actress also mentioned was her iconic role in the ‘James Bond’ films. Dench played a major role in many of the Bond films, known as M, the head of MI6 and James Bond’s commanding officer.In one of the segments of the book, Dame opened up about doing the films and the filmmaker’s decision to kill off her character in ‘Skyfall’ with Daniel Craig as the leading spy, James Bond. However, Dench cleared up some rumors about the matter and even revealed that it was Craig’s idea to have her character killed off in the films.
Judi Dench says her character, M’s death in ‘Skyfall,’ was because of Daniel Craig
She wrote in her book that she had been taken out for lunch by the film’s creators, who then dropped the bomb on her. She added, “I was taken to the Wolseley restaurant by Barbara [Broccoli], Michael [G Wilson], and Sam [Mendes] – I don’t think Daniel Craig was there – and they outlined the plot and told me they were going to bump me off.”She continued, “It was reported in the press that I’d cried when they told me I was being replaced. Of course I didn’t cry. Why on earth would I cry after 20 glorious years and eight Bond films—which, by the way, is one more than Roger Moore, the longest-running 007 to date? Apparently, it was Daniel’s idea to have me killed.”Talking about her final appearance as M, Dench also joked, “But because they killed me off, I’m still sulking, and so I’ve never seen the film. [Laughs.]”
Who is Judi Dench’s favorite Bond?
In the book, she also shared some insights on who her favorite James Bond is, since she has been working in the franchise since ‘GoldenEye.’ She stated, “That’s impossible to answer. I’ll always have a soft spot for Sean [Connery] because he was the original, but what’s lovely is 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 which I think is an essential quality for Bond. ”Dench was the first woman to portray the iconic spymaster in the franchise, debuting in ‘GoldenEye’ (1995). She appeared in ‘Tomorrow Never Dies,’ ‘The World Is Not Enough,’ and ‘Die Another Day’ with Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig’s first three films, ‘Casino Royale,’ ‘Quantum of Solace,’ and ‘Skyfall,’ along with a posthumous video cameo in ‘Spectre’ (2015).