Getty ImagesDame Judi Dench has spoken of her grief after the death of her close friend and compatriot Dame Maggie Smith last week.
The star was asked about Dame Maggie by actor Brendan O’Shea on stage at the Cheltenham Literary Festival.
Ojea also brought up the death of Dame Judy’s husband, actor Michael Williams, and then asked her what she meant when she once compared grief to gasoline.
“I think it’s the energy generated by grief…” she replied, then spoke briefly, apparently at a loss for words.
Smith, best known for the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, has been hailed as a “true legend” to followers of stage and screen She died at the age of 89.
King Charles III and the Prime Minister paid tribute to her, as well as many of her co-stars from her long career.
AlamyThe two veteran stars are similar in age and have known each other for decades.
They have performed together on several occasions, including the 2004 play Ladies in Lavender.
The pair starred in the 2015 comedy The Second Best Marigold Hotel, a sequel to the 2011 hit film.
They also appeared in the 2018 documentary Nothing Like a Dame, where they jokingly reminisced about their lives and careers.
Saturday’s interview covered a wide range of topics, including Dame Judy’s life as an actress.
As the meeting came to an end, Oshie hesitated and said, “I know I probably shouldn’t bring this up, and I know this last week was difficult for you because you lost your good friends Maggie Smith and Barbara. ·Leigh Hunter.
Olivier Award-winning actress Leigh-Hunt died last month at the age of 88.
Ojea then brought up the explanation Dame Judy had previously given about how she coped with the death of a loved one.
in past interviews the timesdiscussing the aftermath of her husband’s death, she said: “Sometimes you have to do a play and it’s really painful. Having said that, I also found it incredibly cathartic.
“You strengthen yourself and use what you’re going through as energy. It’s like gasoline. It helps me deal with the pain.”
Oshie asked her about this: “You said grief can be like gasoline. What do you mean?”
Dench did not comment directly on Smith, Leigh-Hunt or her husband, who died in 2001.
“It’s tricky. It’s tricky,” Oshie interjected.
Dench went on to talk about the trees she has planted at her Surrey home to commemorate loved ones who have died.
She also mocked how some trees look like the people they commemorate, and that one tree dedicated to late actor Bob Peck “won’t grow.”
PA averageDuring a colorful and acclaimed career that spanned eight decades, Dame Maggie was known for her acerbic remarks both on and off screen.
In the Harry Potter films, she plays the acerbic Professor Minerva McGonagall, known for her pointy witch hat and harsh attitude towards young wizards at Hogwarts.
Daniel Radcliffe, who played the boy wizard, said in a tribute: “She was brilliant, had a razor-sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm at the same moment, and, as everyone will tell you, she was hilarious.”
In the hit ITV drama “Downton Abbey,” Smith plays Violet Crawley, Countess of Grantham, the matriarch with a knack for one-liners throughout the show’s six seasons.
She also won two Academy Awards during her career – in 1970 for “The Prime of Miss Jane Brody” and in 1979 for “California Suite.”
She was nominated for four other awards and won seven Baftas.
King Charles called her a “national treasure” while Sir Keir Starmer said she was “loved by many for her great talent”.
