Dame Joan Collins, 87, talks about her ‘tough’ 70-year career in the film industry and how she was only taken seriously as an actress ‘when I started to lose my looks’
Dame Joan Collins has spoken about how how she has had a ‘tough time all my life’ as she reflected on her 70-year career in the film industry.
The Dynasty icon, 87, told Jonathan Ross she ‘went through the jungle alone’ during an interview of his ITV chat show, set to air on Saturday.
Joan, who looked incredible in a glamorous white suit, said she was only taken seriously as an actress ‘when I started to lose my looks’.
Screen icon: Dame Joan Collins has spoken about how how she has had a ‘tough time all my life’ as she reflected on her 70-year career in the film industry
Joan said: ‘I never had anybody, I never had the great agent, or great husband – before Percy [Gibson] that is – I never had anyone who was really supportive of me.
‘I had a very tough time all my life. As an actress, when you’re very young and pretty, you’re not taken seriously as an actress.
‘Vivien Leigh told me this. She said, “People only started to think I could act when I started to lose my looks.”
Reflection: The Dynasty icon, 87, told Jonathan Ross she ‘went through the jungle alone’ during an interview of his ITV chat show, set to air on Saturday
Always fabulous: Joan, who looked incredible in a glamorous white suit, said she was only taken seriously as an actress ‘when I started to lose my looks’
Tough: Joan said: ‘I had a very tough time all my life. As an actress, when you’re very young and pretty, you’re not taken seriously as an actress’
Harsh: ‘Vivien Leigh told me this. She said, “People only started to think I could act when I started to lose my looks.”
She added her father, who was an agent, told her not to be an actress because she would be ‘finished’ by her mid 20s.
‘Well daddy, I proved you wrong,’ Dame Joan said.
Joan made her stage debut at the age of nine, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, entered British films in 1951 and went to Hollywood under contract to 20th Century Fox in 1955.
In 1981, she landed the role of Alexis Colby in the soap opera Dynasty, which made her an international superstar and brought her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama in 1982.
Wow: Joan made her stage debut at the age of nine, entered British films in 1951 and went to Hollywood under contract to 20th Century Fox in 1955
Next month marks 70 years since she started acting, and the screen siren described reaching the milestone as ‘unbelievable’, as she added: ‘I was 17 and I did this dreadful movie, Lady Godiva Rides Again.
‘By 20 I was put under contract at 20th Century Fox.
‘I got on a great big jet to go to America all by myself at 20.’
She also paid tribute to the late actress Dame Barbara Windsor, who died last week aged 83.
Dame Joan said she met the EastEnders star ‘many, many times’.
She added: ‘She was always great fun, with the cackle laugh.
‘We did something for the Queen. We did a lot of things together.’
The Jonathan Ross Show airs on Saturday at 9.25pm on ITV.
Amazing achievement: Next month marks 70 years since she started acting, and the screen siren described reaching the milestone as ‘unbelievable’