Judi Dench Reveals 'Drunk on Power' Playing M in James Bond

Dame Judi Dench, the legendary actress who is now 91 years old, has opened up about her experience playing M, the head of MI6, in eight James Bond films. In her memoir titled Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?, Dench admits she enjoyed the sensation of holding power over the actors who played the secret agent.

Speaking to Brendan O’Hea, Dench said the role of M gave her the chance to put the Bond actors in their proper place. "I loved playing M because it felt wonderful to tell all those men to know their place; to put them in their place," she said. In her first meeting with Pierce Brosnan, her character even delivered a sharp line: "You are a sexist, misogynist dinosaur."

Dench also cited another enjoyable element: wearing expensive suits and pretending to understand cutting-edge technology. "I also got to wear very good suits and pretend I knew what I was talking about, and play with gadgets, even though in real life I can't even operate an ironing board," she joked.

Although she generally enjoyed the role, Dench acknowledges that her level of satisfaction varied from film to film. She greatly valued working with directors Michael Apted and Martin Campbell. However, she singled out Tomorrow Never Dies as a grueling production because of too much script rewriting. "Making that film was tense enough—at least for me—and receiving so many last-minute revisions was very disruptive," she said.

Dench described how sudden revisions forced her to memorize new dialogue at short notice. At one point, she arrived home at ten at night and was immediately met by a motorcycle courier carrying a dozen new pages to learn before being picked up at five the next morning. "When did I have time to learn all that?" she complained.

"I loved playing M because it felt wonderful to tell all those men to know their place; to put them in their place."

— Dame Judi Dench

Interestingly, the decision to kill off M in Skyfall came from Dench's own wish. Since GoldenEye, she had felt confined behind an office desk while the production unit traveled to exotic locations such as Monte Carlo and St Petersburg. She kept pleading for her character to be given a chance to get out. "Eventually they got me out from behind the desk... and shot me," she recalled.

Dench reveals that the idea for M's death reportedly came from Daniel Craig. However, she had to endure an unpleasant moment when she was fired by Ralph Fiennes's character. Nevertheless, she denies media reports that she cried when told she would be replaced. "Of course I didn't cry. Why would I cry after 20 glorious years and 8 Bond films?" she insisted. She also noted that her film count was one more than Roger Moore, the 007 actor with the longest tenure.

Dench's admission not only highlights the dynamics behind the scenes of the Bond franchise but also shows how a senior actress was able to negotiate her role and her character's ending. In an film industry often dominated by the decisions of producers and directors, Dench's story is a rare example of a performer successfully influencing the storyline to suit her wishes.

Going forward, the James Bond franchise will continue to evolve with new players and approaches. But Dench's legacy as a firm and authoritative M will remain a benchmark. Will her successor be able to match the charisma and influence she left behind? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: Dench has proven that being "drunk on power" on the big screen can be one of the most satisfying moments in an actor's career.