Judi Dench talks "great surprise" in "Skyfall"
Judi Dench returns for the seventh time as spy master M in the latest James Bond film, "Skyfall," which has been shattering box office records for the franchise.
Bond fans may have been surprised when seeing "Skyfall" this weekend by M's expanded role this time around. Dench sat down with CBSNews.com in October to discuss some of the unexpected twists in this latest entry in the series.
CBSNews.com: M is really at the center of "Skyfall." Would you say more so than any other Bond film that has come in the past?
Judi Dench: Any other Bond film that I've done, absolutely. Yes, I got a good long chunk of filming.
CBSNews.com: That must be exciting for you as an actress, to get to further expand upon that character.
Dench: Yes, it is. After each one, you never know quite what's coming up next. So it was a great surprise, this one.
CBSNews.com: Audiences are really going to be surprised.
Dench: I hope so. I hope so. I expect I'll be quite surprised when I see it too. [Laughs]
CBSNews.com: The relationship that you and Daniel Craig have off screen mirrors the relationship that Bond and M share.
Dench: Yes, very much so.
CBSNews.com: In what ways?
Dench: Just that we got to know each other over these three films well. He's got a great sense of humor, makes me laugh a lot. And that's a great bonus. Because when you stop doing the serious bits of trying to act up the story and be serious about it, then you have to laugh afterwards. And it's wonderful if you've got somebody to laugh with.
CBSNews.com: How similar would you say Daniel Craig is to Bond?
Dench: He's, I suppose, similar to his Bond. He's made that part very much his own now. He's a consummate actor.
CBSNews.com: The Bond film series turns 50 this year. Why do you think the franchise has proved so enduring over the years?
Dench: I think that people have respected Ian Fleming's stories very much indeed and the way they've been treated. The fact that the Bonds have changed and that they're very very English indeed. He always wears wonderful suits. He always has gloriously witty lines. Beautiful women. It's very British. He's a character that we've all taken to our hearts really.
Watch our interview with Dench at the top of this story.
