When I read the first book Dame Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea wrote together, Shakespeare: The Man Who Paid the Rent, I really only recognized O’Hea as Dench’s friend and co-author. It’s obvious in the new book, Is it Too Late to Make a Run for It? that he’s also an actor and director. In Dench’s anecdotes, she refers to shows they did together. This is another delightful book. As a fan, I could hear Judi Dench’s voice in my head as I read. And, no, she doesn’t read the audiobook, although she does talk at the end. Dench’s eyesight is too poor to allow her to read the audio.
The book is in a conversational format, as O’Hea asks questions of Dench. They begin with her childhood in York, where she makes it obvious she was a terror. She was the youngest of three, with two older brothers. It’s obvious she adored her parents, telling stories about them. Her parents were originally from Ireland, and her mother never lost her accent. They joined the York Amateur Dramatic Society, her father as an actor, her mother in costume making. But, she also tells of her father’s woodcarving skills, making toys at Christmas for his children. That came up when she talks about her love of Christmas.
Some of my favorite stories, though, are about her husband, Michael Williams, “Mikey”, an actor, and there thirty years together. It’s easy to tell they had a loving relationship and marriage. Then, she provides a virtual tour of her garden, discussing the plants, along with all the trees she has planted over the years in memory of deceased friends. She admits she can’t see them as well as she used to, but she can still feel them.
In both of her books, Dench is honest about the directors, actors and writers she worked with. It’s fascinating to read her stories of behind the scenes of theater, movies, and TV shows.
This is a book to dip into, to read a chapter at a time. It’s a glimpse into the life of a revered actor, but, as in the previous book, a reader can tell Dame Judi Dench was a prankster behind the scenes, and sometimes on the stage. I’ll be honest. It’s fun to read about her, but it might be dangerous to act with her. I don’t think she ever lost her role as a terror. Fun to read about, but, otherwise? Hmm.
Is it Too Late to Make a Run for It? by Judi Dench with Brendan O’Hea. St. Martin’s Press, 2026. 368p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley from the publisher, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.
