Five questions for Judi Dench
Was there one moment when you fell in love with Shakespeare?
Oh yes, no question. I was seven and my eldest brother, Peter, was playing Duncan in Macbeth at school. The line was, “What bloody man is that?” And I thought, “Oh, this is for me. This is absolutely for me. If this is Shakespeare and you can swear.”
What’s the one role you never wanted to play?
I never liked The Merchant of Venice, although I did play Portia. I think everyone behaves badly in that play. At the end they all play terrible tricks on each other and it just irritates me.
Was there a role you lost out on that you still rue to this day?
Well, my first job was Ophelia at the Old Vic, and the critics were very cross that somebody straight from drama school had been cast. So then Barbara Jefford took the part when we went to America at the end of the season. But I did have another go, I got the part back when we went to Yugoslavia and I learnt a lot in that time, and I hope I was better.
What has been your moment of greatest terror on stage?
Oh, there have been moments of fear, you bet. But not terror. It’s not that I don’t get frightened, but you know these are things you should not share with other actors because it’s contagious, and it’s also not fair, so you teach yourself to deal with it.
What would you tell a complete novice who asked you where to start with Shakespeare?
I’d say, it’s not a foreign language. We use this language every single day, and we don’t realise it.
Five questions for Adjoa Andoh
Was there one moment when you fell in love with Shakespeare?
Seeing Arthur Lowe, who played Captain Mainwaring in Dad’s Army, play Prospero when I was eight. It showed we can really be anything.
What’s the one role you never wanted to play?
I don’t think I’m very good at fairies. But the thing I always find with Shakespeare that’s so extraordinary is that the moment you sink your teeth into anything you think you might not like, you find you are on to a winner.
Was there a role you lost out on that you still rue to this day?
I don’t think so. At some point I would love to play King Lear. And I’m having a conversation about a production of Macbeth that is probably going to happen in the next couple of years.
What has been your moment of greatest terror on stage?
Every press night is a moment of terror. As you get older, you think it will ease off but it doesn’t. If you weren’t terrified, that’s when you need to worry. I think the cost of the ticket and the whole event should be worthy of your terror.
Has there been an adaptation that you have really disliked?
I suppose I’m a bit of an old git but I like to see the text as it is. I don’t like modern takes on it. The language of Shakespeare is for me the language of the earth, and I don’t like to have it flattened out. It is hard, but you dig into the hardness to make it accessible, because it’s brilliant. And hard things are wonderful too.
Adjoa Andoh’s production of “Richard III” will be available to stream later this year
Five questions for Jonathan Pryce
