Judi Dench reveals tree in honour of Maggie Smith bore fruit on day of funeral
The Oscar-winning actress died in hospital aged 89 in September.
Dame Judi Dench has revealed the apple tree she planted in honour of her friend Dame Maggie Smith bore fruit on the day of the actress’s funeral.
Oscar-winning actress Dame Maggie, known for prominent roles in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, died in hospital aged 89 in September.
To mark what would have been the actress’s 90th birthday on Saturday, a dedicated programme reflected on her life and career, titled Maggie Smith At The BBC.
Dame Judi, who is known for planting individual trees in memory of her friends who have died, revealed in the programme she found out Dame Maggie’s crab apple tree had produced fruit on the day of her funeral.
The actress worked alongside Dame Maggie in various projects including 2004’s Ladies In Lavender and 1985’s A Room With A View.
Recalling their time together, Dame Judi said: “I have known her for a long long time. Very, very funny and unbelievably witty, and a really sweet and special friend.”
The veteran actress also admitted Dame Maggie could be “quite frightening” at times and joked that “you didn’t want to be on the wrong side of Mags”.
Stage and screen star Sir Derek Jacobi agreed that Dame Maggie could be “terrifying because she was so gifted”.
He added: “I was just in awe of her, but you had to get over that. Being in awe of her didn’t last because she wouldn’t let it last.”
She said in the dream she told the late veteran actress she was going to play the character in a Welsh accent, which left Dame Maggie “absolutely horrified”.
The programme which aired on BBC Two looked back on her life through interviews from those who knew her, and with clips from the 1960s to the 2020s, of Dame Maggie performing in various shows and films.
Meanwhile, Games Of Thrones actor Charles Dance recalled how lucky he felt to have directed Dame Judi and Dame Maggie in Ladies In Lavender in a new episode of BBC’s Lives Well Lived series, which also aired on Saturday.
He revealed that Dame Maggie agreed to the project after hearing Dame Judi had signed on, adding: “I could have shot the telephone directory with those two.”
Meanwhile, actor Alex Jennings described their performance In A Room With A View as “complex and brilliant” in an interview with presenter Kirsty Wark.
Jennings added: “The poetry of her work, of recognising loneliness and desperation and wasted lives – she could absolutely tap in to in a heartbreaking way, and in a really subtle way.”
The actor, who starred alongside Dame Maggie in the 2015 film The Lady In The Van, said it was a “privilege to witness her invention” of characters.
Frances de la Tour, who also featured in the film alongside Dame Maggie as well as in the Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, hailed her as an “amazing in every way”.
