Both People Magazine and US Weekly have extensive interviews with Judi Dench this week to promote The Second Best Exotic Marigold hotel, which was out this weekend. The film was third at the box office and is doing moderately well with critics. It also costars Maggie Smith, Dev Patel and Bill Nighy. It’s hard for me to get to the movies but I’ll definitely see it once it comes out on DVD. The first film was a nice change of pace.

I know that Judi doesn’t get a lot of interest because she’s not particularly controversial, but I just love to read her interviews. She doesn’t mince words at all and she speaks so much truth. I’m going to condense her People and US interviews into the best quotes, but if you like Judi I would recommend you pick up the magazines for more. These nice in-depth interviews are the best reasons to buy print magazines. Also, I was just reminded that Judi is 80 years old. I cover her often and I just assume she’s in her early 70s tops. (I would say 60s if she wasn’t famous and I hadn’t googled her age and forgotten it multiple times.) Here’s some of what she said:

On losing her eyesight to macular degeneration
My eyes only affect me if I’m somewhere dark and there are steps and I don’t see very well. I couldn’t go on the Underground [subway] now without somebody. I have all my scripts blown up. If six of us were coming in to read a sonnet, they’d all have one piece of paper and I’d have two or three. Or I have people read things to me. [People]

On aging
There’s nothing good about being my age. Someone said to me, ‘You have such a wealth of knowledge.’ I just said, ‘I’d rather be young and know nothing, actually.’ Bugger the wealth of knowledge. I suppose there are good things, but you have to find them. [People]

On people assuming she’s going to retire
It maddens me! I say that it’s not in my vocabulary, retirement. And if I can’t do one thing, then I’ll learn something new. [US]

On working with Benedict Cumberbatch in The Hollow Crown
I’ve known Benedict since he was a little boy. His mother and I went to school together. I send him and his new wife huge love. I’ve been thinking of him, and his ma and pa. [US]

On working with Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith and I were at the Old Vic together in 1958! We’ve done plays together, films together… You have a shorthand with someone you know very, very well… [People]

On hanging out and playing Banagrams with Maggie Smith
We swam a lot. And I loved this game called Bananagrams. Our hotel in Udaipur had this channel of water all the way around that our rooms looked out onto. One day I was swimming and Maggie – we’re old friends – called and said, ‘Judi! Get the Bananagrams!’ I swam back, got the game and tied it to my head and swam back around. I remember sitting outside, playing it into the night. [US]

On her pets and her legendary goldfish
I have one cat, one dog, which is my daughter’s, and this immense, legendary goldfish… I got him when he was very small. He’s died twice and I’ve blown into his mouth to save him. Now, he’s so big! People think I’m very eccentric. I am a bit eccentric, I know. But I’m mad about this fish and the fact that he came back to life twice. He’s now called Lazarus. He was called Scooby Doo. [US]

[From People and US Magazines, print editions, March 16, 2015]

She’s great, right? What I wouldn’t give to play Bananagrams on the beach with Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. I’ve never played that game but from what I know it’s similar to scrabble without a board.

That’s the best story about her epic goldfish. Long live Lazarus! Oh and both People and US have quotes from Judy (perhaps from the same press conference) on if she ever would guest with Maggie on Downton Abbey. (We heard recently that Maggie would leave Downton next year, but a publicist for the show said that’s not true.) Judi said that Maggie had never asked her to guest and that she didn’t know if she’d do it. She said she’d “miss watching” Downton if she was on the show.

Also, I didn’t realize that Benedict Cumberbatch had older parents or that his mom is an actress. I know her from Sherlock. Kaiser told me that Benedict is the one who convinced Judi to star in Richard III (part of The Hollow Crown series) for the BBC. It comes out in 2016.

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