Absolutely meets one of the world’s most enduringly glamorous women,
Dame Joan Collins
She’s known not only for her glittering acting career and her OBE,
her writing and her impossibly youthful looks but also for her serial
marriages – all five of them. Dame Joan Collins is the grande dame of
British Hollywood stars and her life has been – and continues to be –
impossibly glamorous. Her portrayal of Alexis Carrington in 1980s soap
Dynasty defined the decade, not least for her way with a shoulderpad –
and when she had a clearout of her possessions last year, among the
items up for auction in Beverly Hills were a collection of letters from
Warren Beatty as well as a glittering array of diva dresses, power suits
and vintage Louis Vuitton travel trunks. All this and she’s Cara
Delevingne’s godmother too.
Collins was born in Paddington and grew up in wartime Maida Vale. After studying at RADA, her varied film career took in everything from horror films to pantomime via German soap operas and she even played the Queen Mother to Elizabeth Hurley’s Queen in TV’s The Royals. Now, fittingly for someone who appears to have discovered the secret to eternal youth, she has launched a beauty range.
Collins was born in Paddington and grew up in wartime Maida Vale. After studying at RADA, her varied film career took in everything from horror films to pantomime via German soap operas and she even played the Queen Mother to Elizabeth Hurley’s Queen in TV’s The Royals. Now, fittingly for someone who appears to have discovered the secret to eternal youth, she has launched a beauty range.
Pendle Harte: Your career has been multi-faceted. What is your favourite area of work?
Joan Collins: Acting without a doubt, although I really like writing too.
PH: You’ve worked with some big names. Who have you enjoyed working with most?
JC: Paul Newman was a great friend, actor and humanitarian. I loved our comedy scene in Rally Round The Flag, Boys and we remained good friends for life. I also adored the late Sir Nigel Hawthorne, one of Britain’s greatest actors and I was privileged to work with him in Clandestine Marriage. He also became a good lifelong friend.
Joan Collins: Acting without a doubt, although I really like writing too.
PH: You’ve worked with some big names. Who have you enjoyed working with most?
JC: Paul Newman was a great friend, actor and humanitarian. I loved our comedy scene in Rally Round The Flag, Boys and we remained good friends for life. I also adored the late Sir Nigel Hawthorne, one of Britain’s greatest actors and I was privileged to work with him in Clandestine Marriage. He also became a good lifelong friend.
PH: As a lifelong Londoner, how do you feel about the way the city has changed over your lifetime?
JC: As the French say, “plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose”. Of course London has changed radically. So has New York, LA, Paris – any great city evolves. But London has remained the cultural centre of the world with its immense choice of museums, art galleries and theatres.
PH: Tell us about the new skincare/make-up range…
JC: I have been very fortunate to have learned many beauty secrets from great makeup artists and celebrities so I wanted to share these with other women. The Timeless Beauty range was created for women who take pride in their appearance and know the value of investing in their skin. I have total input with everything we do. There are so many celebrities who are ambassadors for makeup brands and fragrances nowadays, but with the Timeless Beauty collection I am a partner which makes it very different. I have been part of the collection from the beginning; I’ve chosen the colours, the design and made sure that all benefits of the products are what I believe in. The lipsticks are named after characters I’ve played over the years. For example, Fontaine was a wild woman so we created a hot, flirtatious pink for her.
JC: As the French say, “plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose”. Of course London has changed radically. So has New York, LA, Paris – any great city evolves. But London has remained the cultural centre of the world with its immense choice of museums, art galleries and theatres.
PH: Tell us about the new skincare/make-up range…
JC: I have been very fortunate to have learned many beauty secrets from great makeup artists and celebrities so I wanted to share these with other women. The Timeless Beauty range was created for women who take pride in their appearance and know the value of investing in their skin. I have total input with everything we do. There are so many celebrities who are ambassadors for makeup brands and fragrances nowadays, but with the Timeless Beauty collection I am a partner which makes it very different. I have been part of the collection from the beginning; I’ve chosen the colours, the design and made sure that all benefits of the products are what I believe in. The lipsticks are named after characters I’ve played over the years. For example, Fontaine was a wild woman so we created a hot, flirtatious pink for her.
PH: You also have a new novel out (The St Tropez Lonely Hearts Club). How do you find time to write?
JC: I make the time. If you want to do something you need to be disciplined enough to give up certain pastimes – reading, TV, shopping – and carve out the hours needed to write.
PH: What’s next for Joan Collins?
JC: Next I’m very excited about my one woman show Joan Collins: Unscripted which is touring around the UK in September and October. Also I am working with a great cast – Pauline Collins, Joely Richardson, Franco Nero and Michael Brandon – on a new movie The Time of Their Lives.
JC: I make the time. If you want to do something you need to be disciplined enough to give up certain pastimes – reading, TV, shopping – and carve out the hours needed to write.
PH: What’s next for Joan Collins?
JC: Next I’m very excited about my one woman show Joan Collins: Unscripted which is touring around the UK in September and October. Also I am working with a great cast – Pauline Collins, Joely Richardson, Franco Nero and Michael Brandon – on a new movie The Time of Their Lives.
Joan Collins’ Timeless Beauty collection is available now at marksandspencer.com
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