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In Fear of Jame Doodi |
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`Yeah, 60! Just before Christmas! I don't mind! As long as I can go on being employed. A lot of my friends are being 60 at the moment.' Are they minding?' `Some are. I went to a party the other day, Bob Powell was 50, and I got nervous because I suddenly realised for the first time how many people are younger than me " 60 is a bit of a marker.' `They're all markers.' `Mmm, I was very upset when I was 40. I didn't give a damn when I was 50. I just don't want things to get kind of incontinent and dribble down and . . . leaking in public.' She spent three years at the Central School of Drama and in 1957 walked on stage at the Old Vic as Ophelia in Hamlet and never looked back. Shakespeare is still the job she likes best. `Breaking into acting was easy for you. . Is breaking out of it difficult?' `Switching off couldn't be easier!' she chirrups through her chicken. `The more acting I do, the more fearful it becomes, so I love to go home and put my feet up the chimney. We never talk about acting at home. It seems awful eating this chicken in front of you. Are sure you've eaten?' In 1968 she made a sudden switch, appearing as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, surprise to everyone including herself. `Did you want to do the film too?' `Hal Prince, who staged it, said that if he did the film, I could do it. But he didn't.' `You haven't done many films actually.' `They're quite wary of me. My face, my whole being is wrong " too robust.' `And now you're a dame which wouldn't've "' `You're laughing.' `Yes, It's funny.' `The name is funny with the title, isn't it.' `I'm terrified of saying Jame Doodi.' `That's how I was introduced at the Barbican two nights ago by Geoffrey Cass {Chairman of the RSC}!' she exclaims, almost with satisfaction. But it's not only the name. It's not only this specific title with its Widow Twanky association and there being, pace South Pacific, nothing like a dame and so on. It is also the fact that, with her chunky little body, round urchin face, cat's eyes and cropped hair, Judi Dench was the first of the female punks. Anyway, what I wanted to say was that if she'd gone into films she wouldn't have become a dame, because the theatre is superior. `Is it really?' she blinks. Yes, theatre is closer to the roots. It's elemental, flesh and blood, it's like live music " film is the CD. Theatre is superior because it's more dangerous. `That's exactly it!' `TV's the least dangerous.' `But I very much like doing TV,' she says. `Lovely hours. Civilised.' Now Chekhov. His tragi-comedies are extremely dangerous. `There's so much boiling underneath,' she says, `with this little line running along the top which is what people say.' `Oh, that's absolutely Russian.' `Is it? I long to go to Russia. I've never been. And another thing " Chekhov gives everyone a good go, including the servants.' The Seagull is about actors, writers, and love. Everyone is madly in love with the wrong person " and has that happened to her? `Yes, it has.' `How did you solve it?' `I didn't. It ended " eventually. I didn't walk away. I couldn't. It went on a long time. Then it ended. Eventually.' `What is love for you?' `Um . . . . it's um, it's well, it's on many many planes, but I suppose because it's um, that is, in the kind of er human form, oh, I don't know, except that part of it is, I suppose, you've met somebody and um . . . . .' `This is a very English reply.' `Is it? Give me a bit of time, will you? . . . and unlike an ordinary person whom you meet, um the person with whom you are in love, I am perhaps talking about in love, in love, so that when you're with ordinary people you have a circle but when you fall in love that circle which has contained you suddenly goes out of true, yes, and because what you want to do is, is, is, yes, yes! and then if it becomes really um, really um . . . deep, then you find you don't think, I mean, I think it's a kind of . . . madness! I used to fall in love all the time.' Dame Judi is not, however, one of the multi-divorced actresses. She is married " and has been for 23 years " to Michael Williams. `But we don't take it for granted. I have the fear that it could just stop any minute. I hate being taken for granted.' `He is also an actor " but you are more successful.' `No, he's as successful now. He does such a lot of television.' `No, you are more successful.' `It's beginning to level out now " that's very good, that's excellent,' she says, sawing determinedly through a chicken thigh. This production of The Seagull is backed by British Petroleum, which is rather creepy because ecological awareness begins in Chekhov. And Dame Judi plays Arkadina, a famous actress, vain and unpleasant, awfully tight with money. `She's a monster! I'm a squanderer.' `What are your extravagances?' `Champagne!' `What are your vices?' `It's difficult to answer because you never see yourself, really " I mean, I'm this very tall blond girl with long legs.' `What are your weaknesses then?' `I wish Michael was here,' she blinks out through the window with grey-blue eyes. `Is that a weakness?' `No, it's these questions. I fall over a lot. A lot. I don't know why. I always have. I don't fall over the furniture. I fall over nothing. And I'm not very good at making it look part of the action. You know, this is where Lady Macbeth falls over. Another weakness is finding things funny " I go to pieces in rehearsal and I get told off for it. That's why I loved touring Africa. When we toured West Africa they laughed at anything that rhymed. It was wonderful. And afterwards the students asked questions like, `When you are manifesting yourself on the stage, what do you think of to stop yourself from laughing?' Er . . . excuse me!' At the end of the lunch a crumb of chicken has gone down the wrong way and she's started to cough. `So what is your greatest grief?' `Oh, I do wish Michael was here. That we didn't have more children. We've got one girl. I'd've loved lots, but we started too late. Oh!' She's coughing quite badly. `I looked you up in Who's Who in the Theatre and it said your " are you all right?' `I've suddenly " got " this coughing fit!' `That your recreations are "' `Swimming!' `No, it said sewing actually. What do you sew?' `Anything! I can't talk!' {cough}. `And drawing. What do you draw?' `Anything! I draw watercolours. Oh! I do a lot of tap " ' {cough cough " she's gone puce}. `Tap-dancing? Here, there's more water.' `Tapestry. I wish I could say tap-dancing, I wish!' `Do you want to stop?' `I think it's settling down. You see, I was eating too fast.' `They'll come and get you in a minute. What makes you feel embarrassed?' `Walking into a room full of people. Oh dear.' {Cough}. `Do you want a cheese sandwich? The bread might, er . . . What makes you envious?' `Other people's shapes and looks. I catch myself in the mirror and think oh God. Actually I'll pass on the sandwich.' She flaps the wings of her cream linen suit instead. `It's rather warm today, don't you find?' `What makes you angry?' `Apathy. My father, who was a doctor, said, `I couldn't care less' is the worst expression ever invented and I agree.' `You said you don't mind growing old "' `I didn't! I do mind growing old, I mind passionately! And I get guilty about wasting time. But I don't mind being 60 " as long as I can go on feeling 35.' `I see. So what's rotten about growing old?' `Everything packing up.' `Then what's good about it?' `Nothing's good about it.' Knock at door. Back to work.
Thanks to Lisa S, UK, for sharing this
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