Dame Judi Dench is one of those people you can't help but want to be friends with. So, when the Good Housekeeping team met her along with her friend of almost 30 years, actor Brendan O'Hea, we were intrigued to know if it's everything we've imagined.
In an exclusive interview in our January issue, the pair opened up about their longstanding friendship and their new book, Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, in which Brendan chats to Judi about each of the Shakespearean roles she's played.
'Because we’re old friends, it was just like having a very relaxed chat – or a long series of them,' says Judi.
'Brendan would come to my house, put his recorder on, and we’d talk about all these wonderful memories.
According to Brendan, Judi, who loves a practical joke, was rather mischievous during the book's creation.
'I’ve got recordings of Jude trying to see how much popcorn she can fit in her mouth and then laughing. She never misses an opportunity to muck about,' he says.
When asked about her love of jokes, Judi revealed the most outrageous trick she's ever played on someone.
'My old driver and I started the rumour that the Wellington Arch on Hyde Park Corner was actually a Tesco Metro and only The Royal Family were allowed to use it,' she says.
'How handy it was, right in front of Buckingham Palace!'
These days, she said, it's her parrot, Sweetheart, who makes her laugh the most.
'She’s an African grey and she hardly ever speaks, but a little while ago, she said something quite unusual,' she says.
'Three of us were sitting quietly in the garden, it was a beautiful evening and we were having a drink. Suddenly, clear as day, Sweetie said, "Boris Johnson".'
Brendan revealed that his friend does have a more serious side however. The pair starred in the Bond film, Quantum Of Solace, and it was no laughing matter for Judi.
'That’s when I saw Jude’s serious side,' he says.
'She said, "I won’t be mucking about on that – I’m very serious on the Bond films." She didn’t even crack a smile.'
And Judi was quick to respond.
'No, not one. I took that role very seriously indeed,' she says.
Judi, who recently turned 88, also opened up about her feelings towards ageing.
'I have no attitude to it; I don’t want to even think about it,' she says.
'A paramedic once said to me, "Do we have a carer? What’s our name?" and I said, "I’ve just done eight weeks at the Garrick Theatre!"'
As for her what the future holds, the key, she says, is not to look too far ahead.
'If you start looking ahead, you miss the bits that are happening now,' she says.
'I find it very hard to talk about two or three days’ time; I think, "No, no, no, this bit is lovely." That’s not to say you don’t prepare for things in the way that we have to, but I think it’s a pity if you waste the moment. Life is too short.'
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent (Penguin Michael Joseph) by Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea is out now.
Read the full interview with Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea in the January 2024 issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale 7th December 2023. It is available in all supermarkets and online at MagsDirect.
