Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, and Joan Plowright crack open champagne and spill the beans in a new trailer for “Tea with the Dames.” The upcoming documentary sees the legendary actresses coming together to discuss their decades of experiences working on-stage and on-screen. Between sips of tea and bubbly, they get silly with vocal exercises and complain about unflattering camera angles. “We behave pretty badly,” Atkins admits.
The feature takes viewers along for the ride as the long-time friends spend a weekend in the country catching up with one another and reminiscing about days past. The witty foursome share their thoughts about aging and living in the spotlight — and don’t shy away from playful teasing. “I’m turning on you now,” Smith tells Dench. “It’s all coming out now.”
The San Sebastian Film Festival just announced that Dench will receive a Donostia Award at this year’s fest. Variety reports that she’ll accept the honor on September 25 before a screening of her latest film, “Red Joan,” a thriller about a retiree who is arrested by MI5 and accused of spying for Russia during the Cold War. Dench is a seven-time Oscar nominee who took home a trophy for “Shakespeare in Love.” Her recent credits include “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Victoria & Abdul.”
Smith won an Oscar for “The Prime of Miss Joan Brodie” and has scored three Emmy wins, including two for her role as Violet Crawley, Countess of Grantham in “Downton Abbey.” The period drama’s sixth and final season concluded in 2015.
Atkins is a three-time Olivier winner whose stage credits include “The Unexpected Man” and “Honour.” “Gosford Park” and “Evening” are among her film credits. She won an Emmy for “Cranford.”
Plowright received a Tony for her role in “A Taste of Honey” and an Oscar nod for “Enchanted April.”
Check out the trailer to see the esteemed actresses cracking jokes. Dench recalls asking, “Are you sure you want a menopausal dwarf to play this part?” when she was offered the role of Cleopatra in “Antony and Cleopatra.”
“Tea with the Dames” hits theaters September 21.
