Judi Dench Says She Stopped Going For Lead Roles In Movies For 30 Years After Director's Harsh Remark

Dame Judi Dench has revealed the cutting remark made to her by a film director that put her off going for lead roles in movies for 30 years. 

Back in the 1960s, Dench was already a successful actor having appeared on stage as well as a number of TV roles – and looked to make a move into films after her agent secured her an audition with a director. 

However, after a mean-spirited remark from a director, Dench shelved the idea of becoming a leading lady for a long time. 

In an interview with The Sunday Times, 87-year-old Dench revealed: “He was perfectly nice, but at the end he said, 'You’ll never make a film; you have the wrong face'." 

She replied: “And I said, ‘That is fine, I don’t like film anyway. I want to go back to the theatre’.”

And she did, but she would later make the director eat his words – picking up her first lead film role aged 63 in 1997’s Mrs Brown, where she played Queen Victoria. 

Her turn as the lead was so good, she even bagged herself an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. 

Although she didn’t win that award, the following year Dench was nominated and won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Shakespeare in Love.

Over the years, she’s been nominated four more times for Best Actress in a Leading Role – in 2001’s Iris; Mrs Henderson Presents; Notes on a Scandal and most recently in 2013 for Philomena. 

The director who wasn’t impressed by Dench back in the 60s clearly didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. 

We don't deserve Dame Judi 😭 pic.twitter.com/l8fymMTGS6

— Pro-choice Fritz and the Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 (@FritzandOscars) March 29, 2022

Earlier this year, the legendary actor went viral after she made a cheeky comment about her virginity at the Oscars. 

Comedian Guillermo Rodriguez was working the red carpet at 94th Academy Awards for Jimmy Kimmel Live, when he spotted Dench and approached her, asking: “[Do you] want to say hello to the person that you lost your virginity to?”

At first, Dench looked slightly confused, before asking: “Lost my virginity to?” 

But her stern look turned to a smirk as she added: “Long dead.”

A clip of the exchange soon went viral with fans declaring their love for Dench over her witty comeback. 

Sharing the clip, one fan wrote, “I love Dame Judi Dench so f*****g much" while another said: “We don’t deserve Dame Judi.”

A third chimed in: “I’m losing my mind to Dame Judi Dench’s answer to Guillermo asking if she wanted to say hello to the person she lost her virginity to.”

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