What’s not to like about Dame Judi Dench? What a life, what a career, what a dame!
Is it Too Late to Make a Run For it? is not exactly a memoir, but you do learn quite a lot about her life. Dame Judi responds to a series of questions asked by her close friend Brendan O’Hea. The book is conversational and is divided into chapters like food, comedy, theatre versus film, musicals, and so on.
Judi Dench: Is it too Late to Make a Run for it? (2026, St. Martin’s Press) is a funny and revealing read. Having her friend pose the questions might not provide as much comfort as one might think, as his questions and follow-ups are very direct and probing. What are friends for? The gentle push gets her to go a bit deeper or reveal something only a friend might know.
What did I learn?
I had no idea that Dame Judi had lead roles in some heady musical stage productions. She was Sally Bowles in Cabaret, and A Little Night Music, where she sang “Send in the Clowns.” She doesn’t consider herself a singer, with limited range, and a deep gravely quality that proved challenging on stage, but she didn’t shy away from the roles.
The book is full of humor, and Dame Judi has a vocabulary and directness that might surprise you. Known for her classic roles of the British theatre including roles of British royalty, Dame Judi flashes signs of a bawdy sense of humor and occasionally peppers her phrases with the word “fuck”.
I would never have pictured Dame Judi playing M, head of MI6 in the Bond films, which shows how I underrated her appeal. She said she loved the role and the producers were very good to her, over the span of 20 years and eight films. Supposedly, Dame Judi’s character was based on Stella Rimington, the first woman to lead MI5.
Dame Judi on the benefits of playing M: “I got to fire two shots in the film. Afterwards, I was given the cartridges and I had them made into cufflinks for Sammie [grandson] as a Christmas present. They were made by a jeweller’s in Bletchingley, who added a tiny ruby at the end. I would’ve had a pair made for myself but I didn’t shoot enough people.”
Dame Judi did not become an in-demand actor until later in life. “When I started out at the Vic very few people aspired to work in cinema. I certainly never expected to. Then one day I was invited to meet a big Hollywood producer at his office near Hyde Park. I must’ve been about twenty-three. He stared at me for a long time, then said ‘Very nice to meet you but you’ll never make a movie because you have every single thing wrong with your face.’ I suppose that was the era when you had to be quite a looker. He was very polite about it.”
Among the many awards and recognition she’s received was the I also have the Freedom of the City of London, and extols the accoutrements of such a recognition. “In London, for instance, I can drive my sheep over Tower Bridge. I’m also occasionally allowed to wear my sword in public. And if I’m drunk and incapable, instead of locking me up in a cell, the police are to put me in a taxi and send me home with a gentle reprimand. If I push it a bit further and they have reason to hang me, I can ask them to use a silken rope. There are always upsides to these honours.”
Dame Judi doesn’t say much about her failing eyesight which has been reported on recently, other than acknowledging the challenges of aging. Some of her best stories involve friends and co-stars like the late Maggie “Mags” Smith, Billy Connelly (Mrs. Brown) and Steve Coogan (Philomena).
Looking for a book on a rainy day or to climb in bed with? Is it too Late to Make a Run for it? is a great choice.
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