Eileen Atkins reveals 'cross moment' with Judi Dench after losing out on role(Image: (Image: GETTY))

Eileen Atkins reveals her 'cross moment' with Judi Dench after losing out on role to fellow Dame

Eileen Atkins, who has starred in Doc Martin and The Crown, revealed she had a 'cross moment' with Judi Dench after losing out on a coveted part to her

28 Jul 2024, 12:10 by Lucas Hill-Paul · The Mirror

Dame Eileen Atkins spilled the beans on her occasional tiffs with Judi Dench, revealing a particularly "cross moment" during an episode of Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh that was broadcast this Sunday (July 28).

The esteemed actress, who has recently captivated audiences in Doc Martin and The Crown on Netflix, opened up about her friendly rivalry with fellow Dames Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Joan Plowright.

During the show, Alan Titchmarsh recounted a cheeky exchange from the documentary Nothing Like a Dame, where one of the Dames quipped to Judi, "Someone said rather waspishly to Judi Dench, 'we only get parts when you turn them down!'"

Eileen reminisced about a time when she was second choice for a role: "I do remember she squeezed something in between two films," and added, "And I got the message, 'If she can't squeeze it in we're coming to you'."

Eileen appeared with William Roache and Joe Sugg on Alan Titchmarsh's Sunday show( Image: (Image: ITV))

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Although she didn't specify the role, Eileen admitted feeling slightly irked when Judi managed to fit the part into her busy schedule, saying, "I did have a cross moment when she decided she could squeeze it in and did three in a row", reports the Express.

Despite missing out on that particular opportunity, Eileen never saw herself as directly competing with her peers, reflecting on their early success: "Maggie and Judi, and Joan as well, all did so well, long before I... I didn't make it in any way until I was 32."

She concluded by expressing her admiration for her contemporaries, noting, "They were all going at it in their 20s, so they all seemed to me to be the stars, so I didn't feel I was in competition with them, strangely."

During the conversation, Eileen fondly recalled her BAFTA-winning performance as Miss Deborah Jenkyns in the BBC One drama Cranford. She shared the screen with Judi in this highly praised period series, but she surprised Alan by revealing that she initially didn't think much of the role.

"I didn't think it was a good part, at first," she admitted. However, she loved the cast and saw it as a summer television project.

Eileen won a BAFTA for her Cranford performance despite not thinking it was a good part( Image: (Image: GETTY))

"I thought, 'It's not a very demanding part, but I'll do it'. I really didn't think it was a very good part.

"But then one of the young boys, I wish I could remember his name, I'm so grateful to him... He said to me one day, 'I love your character'. And I asked, 'Why?'

"I hadn't done much, so it was really handy. He explained all the reasons why he liked someone as stern as Deborah, and it made me want to play her. So it was useful."