Dench Talks Bond 23

Dame Judi Dench has offered news-thirsty Bond fans some interesting comments on Bond 23 in recent days. Dame Judi, who has played Bond's authoritative boss 'M' since 'Goldeneye' in 1995, confirmed her involvement in the next Craig Bond thriller and also offered some views on possible candidates for roles.

Echoing recent comments by Daniel Craig that Bond 23 will start filming in late 2010 for a year 2011 release, Dench told MTV News: 'I think I'm going to be needed in the Spring of 2011. That's a message I got'. She added: 'It would mean I could do something at the end of next year, something else, maybe in the theatre'.

Moreover, 'Mandrake', a columnist for the UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper, reported on 4 December that the Oscar-winning actress had told him that she was keen to help her fellow English actress Emma Thompson achieve her stated ambition to play a 'baddie' in the next Bond film: 'It's such a good idea', Dame Judy told Mandrake at the premiere of her latest film, the musical 'Nine', at London's Odeon Leicester Square: 'I'd give her a hard time'. Dench said if a role could be found for Thompson 'it would be very nice'.

As the Fan Club revealed in early November, and again in our recent newsletter, Thompson first publicly voiced her Bond villain ambitions at the London Film Festival in October, telling one newspaper that she had been lobbying Barbara Broccoli for a part as a 'proper villain', and would like to 'explore more of a dark side' to her acting career.

Dench Now A National Treasure?

In a sense, although she hates the term, Dench has become something of a national treasure in Britain, and remains especially proud of her role as MI6 boss 'M' in the 007 series. Dame Judi also remains high in demand in both the screen and theatre worlds. The 74-year old has recently been involved in new filming for the BBC's period drama 'Cranford', returning to her role of Miss Matty, first seen in the Bafta-award winning series in 2007. The two new episodes will be screened this coming Christmas. In comments carried in the UK's Daily Express recently, Dame Judi said she admired the community values on dsiplay in the Cheshire village featured in the BBC drama: 'Although the characters have shifted subtly the relationship and sense of community at the heart of Cranford remains the same', she said.

Dame Judy also remains very committed to the British theatre, including encouraging new theatre ventures outside central London. When it was announced recently that she would star in a new production directed by Sir Peter Hall at the Rose Theatre in Kingston, Surrey, the tickets sold out in hours.

Dame Judi first helped Kingston's Rose in December, 2004, when she starred in 'Judi Dench and Friends', a one evening money-raising gala to give the cash-strapped Rose a helping hand. Dench recruited fellow Brosnan-era Bond stars Samantha Bond and Colin Salmon to perform excerpts from Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot and Chekhov.

Julian Glover (lead villain in 'For Your Eyes Only') and Charles Dance (who briefly appeared in the same film and once also played Bond author Ian Fleming for Anglia TV) also contributed to the night's proceedings, which was a smash success.

The Judi Dench Factor

Sometimes the fact that Dame Judi is held in such high esteem can lead to controversy. According the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC), 'Quantum of Solace' prompted some complaints from the British public about bad language because of the 'Judi Dench Factor'. Dench apparently prompts complaints every time she swears in a film, no matter what rating it is given by the BBFC. 'Quantum', which was rated 12A in the UK, prompted complaints about the film's language from a few over-sensitive viewers. The BBFC's annual report recently said: 'This beloved actress plays M, Bond's tough-talking boss. However, it was her tough talking which upset the viewers'.

But this was probably music to Dench's ears. She remains determined not to be stereo-typed, is keen to take risks, and likes to take on experimental and unusual roles in her screen career, trying to constantly surprise her fans. A good example is 'Rage', a project that features 14 actors playing fictional characters in the fashion world, who all deliver monologues before a plain backdrop. Dench plays Mona Carvell, a fashion critic who is tough but sour, and calls fashion 'pornography' instead of art. It's a particularly powerful performance, with Dench's wide acting range in evidence.

Dench recently told a British newspaper she remains a workaholic, that work makes her happy, and she has no plans for retirement. The very idea is anathema.