Dame Judi Dench has revealed that Daniel Craig played a role in her character’s exit from the James Bond franchise by suggesting that M be killed off in the 2012 film “Skyfall.”
In her new memoir “Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?” the Oscar-winning actress reflected on her decades-long career, which included eight appearances in the James Bond universe.
Dench, 91, recounted how producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson—alongside “Skyfall” director Sam Mendes—broke the news that her time as the head of MI6 was coming to an end.
“I was taken to the Wolseley restaurant by Barbara, Michael and Sam,” she said in a narrated excerpt from her book. “I don’t think Daniel Craig was there—and they outlined the plot and told me they were going to bump me off.”
The revelation sheds new light on Craig’s influence over his era as 007, with Dench noting that it was apparently “Daniel’s idea to have me killed.”
Dench suggested she had partly brought the situation upon herself. Ever since her first appearance as M in 1995’s “GoldenEye,” she had reportedly been asking filmmakers to give her character more opportunities to get away from her office desk.
“My own fault, I suppose,” she said. “Ever since ‘GoldenEye,’ when the entire film unit went off to Monte Carlo and St. Petersburg, and I only had three days in Watford, I’d been begging them to let me out from behind my desk. Well, they did finally let me out from behind my desk … and they shot me [laughs].”
Dench also dismissed suggestions that she had cried when informed she was being replaced, pointing out that she had nothing but enjoyable memories with the franchise.
Her successor, Ralph Fiennes, stepped into the role following M’s death.
“It was reported in the press that I’d cried when they told me I was being replaced,” she added. “Of course I didn’t cry. Why on earth would I cry after 20 glorious years and eight Bond films, which, by the way, is one more than Roger Moore, the longest-running 007 to date.”
M’s death remains one of the most emotionally significant moments in the modern Bond films. After being wounded during a confrontation with Javier Bardem’s villainous Raoul Silva, her character dies in Bond’s arms, leaving 007 visibly devastated.
In recent years, Dench has also largely stepped away from acting altogether, as her battle with age-related macular degeneration has increasingly affected her vision.
The condition, which causes progressive damage to central vision, has made it difficult for the English actress to continue working on film and theatre projects as she can’t read or recognize faces.
Dench is also well-known for her performances as Ophelia in “Hamlet,” Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet,” and Lady Macbeth in “Macbeth.”
She has achieved various accolades, including an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for “Shakespeare in Love,” and is also a 10-time BAFTA winner.
