The co-star Judi Dench punched before a love scene: “Mostly it’s about being badly behaved”
Don’t let her diminutive stature fool you; if there’s one legendary actor you don’t want to end up on the wrong side of, then Judi Dench is probably one of the names furthest up the list.
Not only is she one of the all-time greats, but she refuses to take shit from anyone and enjoys few things more than causing mischief, chaos, and havoc. Not many people would look at Dench and think she’s one of film, television, and theatre’s ultimate pranksters, but just ask some of her co-stars over the years.
Lesley Manville literally pissed herself mid-performance when the awards-laden veteran was trying to make her break live on stage, which she did by pretending she was being “pleasured from behind.” Understandably, she wanted Dench locked up for her antics, possibly with the key being thrown away.
It isn’t all about bodily fluids, though, even if that’s quite often the case, like the time she mistakenly asked a complete stranger if they fancied a shag. Sometimes, things can even get violent, as Michael Pennington discovered when he tried to play the long-time M at her own game and got buttressed across the chops for his efforts.
The two stalwarts of the stage have been close friends since the 1970s, co-starring in multiple productions, including The Way of the World, The Gift of the Gorgon, and Filumena. He probably assumed he was off-limits from Dench’s physical retribution, but he guessed wrong when he wolfed down so much garlic that she was left with no other choice but to sock him in the jaw.
“When we have argued, I don’t think it’s ever been serious,” she recalled to The Independent. “I remember him telling me once that he had a mouse infestation and had set traps all over his house. I won’t have a trap in my house: I don’t like badgers being destroyed or maimed, and I feel the same about mice. So I wrote these anonymous letters to him saying, ‘Mouse Murderer!'”
That was positively quaint by Dench’s standards, but she got a little more hands-on when Pennington attempted to test her mettle before some fictional fornication. Reflecting on their friendship, the Academy Award winner admitted that “it’s mostly been about having fun and being badly behaved, though he’s not as uncontrolled as I can get.”
How uncontrolled can she get? “Once, he ate a lot of garlic before a love scene,” Dench explained. “I think I punched him for that.” It can’t be easy for an actor to pretend to hop the bones of someone they call one of their dearest friends anyway, never mind when they reek so badly that a vampire wouldn’t come within a hundred feet of them.
Ever the professional, the diminutive dame did what all experienced actors would do in the same situation, and thumped him. She might have a reputation for being a nuisance, but if anyone tries to one-up Dench as a piss-taker, there’s a high chance they’re going to end up bruised and battered.
