Dame Judi Dench on Shakespeare and Sir Kenneth Branagh

Judi Dench and William Shakespeare are pretty much synonymous with each other. He has played a momentous part in her career, while she is regarded as one of the – if not THE – finest modern exponent of his work. The Bard helped her become a star; straight from drama school in 1957 she auditioned at the Old Vic and was astonished to land the role as Ophelia in a forthcoming production of Hamlet opposite John Neville. It was met with mixed reviews, including one from the Evening Standard, which read: “Ophelia is played by a girl called Judi Dench, whose first professional performance this so obviously is. But she goes mad quite nicely and has talent which will be shown to better advantage when she acquires the technique to go with it.” Thankfully she did, and quickly too, with roles in Measure for Measure, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night and Henry V all coming in the following 12 months. Since then she’s played pretty much every major female Shakespearean character. Her most recent stage appearance came as Paulina in Kenneth Branagh’s take on The Winter’s Tale in 2015; she even won her Oscar while playing Elizabeth I in the romantic comedy Shakespeare in Love. Even now, at the grand old age of 91, she can recall her lines as if she only learned them this morning, as Harvey Lilley, CEO of Proper Job, the company behind her latest project, can attest: “To be able to ask Judi if she remembers anything from a Shakespeare play she last performed in nearly 40 years ago and for her then, completely unrehearsed, to perfectly deliver a complete soliloquy illustrates for me what it was like to get to make this film. Unforgettable.” With that long history with Britain’s foremost playwright behind her, you would imagine that she knows everything there is to know about him, but even she was shocked to learn that she may be even closer to the Bard than she originally thought. York-born Dench, who has age-related macular degeneration and recently revealed that she can no longer see the television, has discovered that a relative of hers – her eight times great-grandfather in fact – may have met Shakespeare way back in 1606, which was a key year in his life. Itt was the period in which he wrote King Lear, Macbeth and Antony and Cleopatra, the plague returned to England, and news of the Gunpowder Plot rocked the nation. As a result, she’s setting out on a journey of discovery in the hope of unearthing the truth. It takes her to Denmark’s Elsinore Castle, the inspiration for the setting of Hamlet, as well as various stately homes across England. “It has been such an adventure to explore the possibility that an ancestor of mine might just have got within touching distance of my hero William Shakespeare,” says Dench. “All the years I’ve spent playing Shakespeare and feeling a genuine, genuine passion for him and his work, to be on a journey where you might be stepping closer to him… it’s beyond my wildest dreams.” - Judi Dench: Shakespeare, My Family and Me airs on Channel 4, Saturday. December 27 at 9pm

Dame Judi recently fulfilled her “dream” of sharing the stage with Sir Mick Jagger thanks to a surprise appearance from the rock legend during a live show. Earlier this month, the veteran actress appeared alongside broadcaster Gyles Brandreth at the Sondheim Theatre for a conversational-style show titled What’s The Play? What’s The Part?, with Brandreth arranging for Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick to come on stage and give a speech reflecting on Dame Judi’s career.

In new Sky Arts show Tea With Judi Dench, she herself looks back on her life and career and that of her longtime friend and sometime collaborator Sir Kenneth Branagh. She opens up her beautiful country home to him for the one-off special, and from the sanctuary of her English garden, the programme, peppered with archive and anecdote, promises to provide personal biography and career highlights from them both, along with lively conversation, funny insights and genuine candour and emotion.

You’ve worked with Sir Kenneth Branagh multiple times - what makes that collaboration so special?

It’s because we have the same sense of humour and we both know what it is to behave badly! Perhaps it’s because we are Sagittarians, a day apart - not in years.

Looking back at your early theatre days, was there a pivotal moment that shaped your approach to acting?

In every single play or production I have ever done, I’ve learnt something new. That comes not just from the play or the director, but also from your fellow actors. Each production offers countless opportunities to keep learning and growing.

I knew in Anthony & Cleopatra that there was a line of Cleopatra that was intended to get a laugh - on the 100th performance, I got the laugh.

What advice do you give to young actors starting out in theatre and film today?

Firstly, there is no point being an actor unless you’ve got enormous energy. The audience has paid to see a particular production and it is our duty to tell the story to the best of our ability.

I remember playing Ophelia at the Old Vic when the Asian flu epidemic was rife and coming on and crying all the way through one scene early on in the play. I was told off severely after the scene and reminded that the audience had come to see Hamlet without the extra bits added from me! If you can’t perform if you are not well, let your understudy go on.

From your first performance as Ophelia in 1957, what stands out to you about how theatre has evolved since then?

All I can hope is that theatre HAS evolved. With the onset of social media and I believe a marked lack of interest in the arts, I fear that the younger generation won’t have the benefit or interest in the theatre like we all had.

If you could revisit one role, which would it be and why?

I would revisit any role of Shakespeare that I have played, as I feel I never explored it entirely by the end of the run. As my passion is Shakespeare and his plays, I would welcome the challenge to play any part in any play - anything opposite Ken Branagh.

Is there a Shakespeare play - or particular character - that you’ve always wanted to tackle but never had the opportunity?

I would like to have played Cressida. Trolius and Cressida is a play I have never done. I just remember seeing my husband, Michael, playing Trolius and Helen Mirren playing Cressida - I would have loved at some point to have tackled that play.

What is it about Ken that you most admire?

What I admire most is his attitude to work, his commitment to what he does and of course, his sense of humour - those are the first things that stand out. Also, his respect for the theatre and the work he does.

What did you most enjoy about the day you spent together with Ken in conversation for this film?

When you are so fond of somebody and you have worked with them and you admire them, a day isn’t long enough to catch up. Every moment of the day was, for me, very special.

How will you be spending this Christmas?

With my family, around a big fire, playing games.

- Sky Arts show Tea with Judi Dench is available to watch on streaming service NOW.