PRESS UPDATE : THE GLORIES OF BEING A GRANDMOTHER! .. SEPTEMBER 15TH 2018 ..

From the supermodel to James Bond’s boy: They’re all part of my own little dynasty - but please no more, dahlings! JOAN COLLINS reveals the glories of being a Godmother ...13 TIMES over

By JOAN COLLINS FOR THE DAILY MAIL

Occasionally people ask me: ‘How do you manage 13 godchildren?’ And my answer is simple: ‘You’d have to ask them.’ And it would be quite a task, as they range from aged three to 54 and are scattered all over the world.

But I think they’d probably agree that, although I love them all dearly, I have failed badly in my godparenting duties of advice, outings and gifts.

In fact, I have to confess that once, in around 2000, I was asked to become a godmother again when I already had around ten to my name and I actually refused. ‘I’m a lousy godparent.’ I said. ‘I can’t do it again.’

SNAP-HAPPY SCOTT: Scott Sanderson is the son of LA-based British celebrity photographer Eddie Sanderson, who has been photographing me for more than 40 years

Having discussed it with other godparents, it seems I’m not the only one who doesn’t live up to their responsibilities. Apparently, Queen Victoria had about 50 godchildren, many of whom she ignored even though some were named after her. None of mine were named after me — Joan, after all, is a very boring name — but I do have something in common with the great lady on that front.

It’s not that I don’t love babies — I absolutely adore them. That wasn’t always the case, however. I can remember my baby brother, Bill, arriving when I was 12; ‘Horrible, smelly little brat,’ I sneered to my put-upon mother. ‘No way am I going to change his nappy!’

And I didn’t. I ignored the poor child until he became a teenager and became more interesting, and we started to become close — a bond that is even more intense following the death of our beloved sister, Jackie, three years ago.

DELIGHT FROM MY TV DAYS: Amy Wilson, 31, daughter of former PR Stella Wilson from my days on Dynasty. Amy is married to former Saracens rugby player Chris Wyles

It was only six months after I found myself with my own baby, my beautiful Tara Cynara Newley, that I acquired my first godchild, Adam Bricusse. It felt like a double blessing.

Adam’s father is the lyricist Leslie Bricusse, the song-writing partner of my then husband, Anthony Newley, and his mother the film actress Yvonne Romain. We all were extremely close and spent years going on holidays together.

When my baby son, Sacha, arrived about a year after Adam, they became best friends for decades.

MT THEATRE PAL'S TWINS: Declan, left, and Justin Duggan, with my beloved sister Jackie. They’re the twin sons of Charles Duggan, who produced my U.S. tour of Noel Coward’s Private Lives

Our families had many adventures together, but one particularly horrific one took place in a rented New York brownstone, when the children were tiny. The nanny came rushing out of Adam’s room in the middle of the night, screaming: ‘He’s covered in cockroaches!’

When we went to look in his cot, we found cockroaches crawling all over his crib and up his baby-gro. Never have two families packed so fast as we did to evacuate that infested house.

Eight years later, my best friend, Judy Bryer — my personal assistant when I was starring in Dynasty — produced her first-born, Victoria, and I was delighted to be asked to be a godmother for the second time. Victoria and I have kept in constant touch, as she is almost the same age as my youngest daughter, Katyana..

CATWALK STAR CARA: Model and actress Cara Delevingne, 26, daughter of my life-long friends Charles and Pandora.

Two godchildren were entirely manageable and a huge honour, and I went into each relationship with the very best of intentions. I dutifully remembered birthdays, and chose thoughtful presents.

But then, all of a sudden, I seemed to become inundated with invitations to ‘godmotherhood’. The births came fast and furious in the Seventies: there was Milica, daughter of interior designer Tessa Kennedy and prolific film producer Elliot Kastner, of Where Eagles Dare fame, among many others.

Rachel, the daughter of Rod Tyler, then news editor of the News of the World, and his wife Maggie, who was our personal assistant, was also born in the Seventies. Then came Scott, son of Eddie Sanderson, my favourite photographer, and Christian, son of Luisa and Roger Moore.

MILLIONAIRE'S LAD: Theo Massow, aged three, is the son of Ivan Massow the multi-millionaire entrepreneur and activist. I met Ivan more than 20 years ago, and he calls me his ‘second mum’

By now I was struggling to keep up with remembering all of their birthdays. I did my best, but it was so difficult I decided instead to give a festive children’s Christmas party every year. This proved extremely successful and kept both parents and kids — including my own — happy for a few years.

But as this group turned into teenagers, the novelty of Christmas parties, stocking treats and ‘ho-ho-ho’ Santas grew stale, and they came to a natural end.

Not that that was the end of the godparenting requests! As the Eighties dawned, my younger friends started producing babies.

FILM MOGUL'S BABY: I first met Milica Kastner in her cot in the South of France when she was three months old. Now 46, she is the actress daughter of the late American film producer Elliot Kastner and Tessa Kennedy, a British interior designer, who is godmother to my daughter Katy..

In quick succession, I was asked to become godmother to Chloe, daughter of Neil Dickson (who played Biggles), with whom I was working on my mini-series ‘Sins’; then Coco, daughter of Louise and Theo Fennell, the fabulous jeweller.

Then in the Nineties, Amy, daughter of my publicist Stella Wilson, and Cara, daughter of my good friends Pandora and Charles Delevingne, were born. Lucky Cara had an abundance of godparents — 16 in all, I recollect — several of whom are now dead, so maybe it was foresighted of her parents to collect so many

By this time, I had practically given up on all of them. I sent a Christmas card every year which was often returned with a ‘Not known at this address’ sticker.

BEST FRIEND'S GROWN-UP GIRL: Victoria Dade, pictured here with me and a young fellow goddaughter, Cara Delevingne, is daughter of my closest friend Judy Bryer. Her father is Californian businessman Maximilian Bryer, who gave me away when I married my husband Percy Gibson in 2002. Victoria, now 46, has two sons and works in the U.S. broadcasting industry..

Then when, in the Nineties and early 2000s, my grandchildren were born, there weren’t enough hours in the week to keep in touch with many of them. Being a godparent is supposed to mean acting as a referee for the child and their parents from their baptism to adulthood. Nowadays, it’s all about remembering Christmas and birthdays and dishing out iPads and iPhones as presents.

Another definition of a good godparent is that they will make themselves available at all times to the child, keeping in touch regularly. Sorry guys — I guess I dropped the ball on that one, too. As a working actress, mother to three and grandmother to three, I could only be counted on in emergencies.

On the advice front, though, I’ve tried. I gave Cara Delevingne advice on the perils of showbusiness. When she was 15, she asked me whether she should become an actress: ‘Don’t,’ I told her simply, and paraphrasing Jack Nicholson, added: ‘The world doesn’t need another actress — 95 per cent of actors are out of work.’

+9

CO-STAR'S KID: Chloe, who’s in her 30s, is the daughter of actor Neil Dickson, who starred with me in my mini-series Sins in the Eighties

Of course, she didn’t listen and has become monumentally successful in both her acting and modelling careers. 

Just a few weeks ago we went out to dinner, and I took my 19-year-old granddaughter, Miel, to Cara’s 26th birthday bash in Los Angeles. 

I do try to keep in touch with them all. I see Christian Moore and his gorgeous young children often in the South of France. Christian has just had his fifth baby — a gorgeous little girl called Lily-Lara. And Adam Bricusse, my first godchild, is now godfather to her!

Now that my godchildren are having children of their own, does this make me a great-godmother? 

The early 21st century has seen something of a renaissance for my godparenting duties.

My friend and producer Charles Duggan, who is gay, informed me he was going to become a parent through in-vitro fertilisation. 

Since his twin sons, Declan and Justin, were born in 2002, we, too, have spent several summers together.

FIRST GODCHILD AND 007's SON: Artist Adam Bricusse, left, is the 54-year-old son of lyricist Leslie Bricusse, who worked with my second husband, Anthony Newley. Film producer Christian Moore, 45, is the youngest son of my friend Roger Moore..

Then, in 2015, another of my gay friends, Ivan Massow, asked my husband, Percy, and me to be godparents to his beautiful baby boy, Theo.

To be fair to myself, I am now in regular touch with most of my godchildren, inviting them to my parties whenever they are in town and getting to know and love their own children.

As far as the requests go, I think I’ll definitely stick at 13. Unlucky? I don’t think so.

So, from married parents to single parents to gay fathers, god-parenting has changed a lot in the past 50 years.

I have been happy to have been even a small part of my godchildren’s lives, if not the most active of influencers. I love all of them wholeheartedly.

TV ALERT : AHS APOCALYPSE ... FX (USA) .. 10PM ET .. SEPTEMBER 12TH 2018 ..

Joan invites you to witness The Apocalypse tomorrow evening on FX! Join in the mayhem at 10pm ET.. Make sure to tune in for the beginning... or is it the End!!

PRESS UPDATE : WEEKEND MAIL .. MY LIFE THROUGH A LENS :

My life through a lens: Hollywood legend Dame Joan Collins shares the stories behind her favourite snaps

By DAVID WIGG FOR WEEKEND MAGAZINE

Celebrities share the stories behind their favourite photographs – this week it’s Hollywood legend Dame Joan Collins

1937: Here I am topless aged four with my darling mother Elsa on holiday in Bognor Regis. She’s wearing her ‘Lana Turner’ style turban. My father Joe, who was a theatre agent in London, was a stern disciplinarian, but with a great sense of humour. Mummy was beautiful, adored dressing up and going out, but at heart she was a homebody whose world revolved around her family..

1952: This is my younger sister Jackie [right] and me as teenagers, having fun as we always did. It’s also one of the earliest photos of bikinis. We’re in the South of France, which I’ve loved from the moment I first went there as a girl – it’s magical. I miss Jackie since she died in 2015 – we were so close. She was such a remarkable woman.

1968: I always read bedtime stories to my children Tara and Sacha, even before going out for the evening. I was a single mother – something people never saw. I left my second husband Tony Newley when Tara was five and Sacha was three [both pictured] and cared for them myself. It was the same with Katy, my daughter from my next marriage, to Ron Kass.

1955: The Virgin Queen with Bette Davis was my very first Hollywood movie. I was just 22 when I arrived from Britain and I was scared to bits. She was utterly terrifying. She didn’t only scare me, but also the four other girls who played her ladies-in-waiting. She used to stalk around smoking heavily and wore tight corseted gowns. At one point she kicked me clear from her skirts across the set as I tried to tie her shoes.

                                                                            1954: David ‘Chim’ Seymour, the famous photographer who founded the Magnum photo agency with Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and Robert Capa, loved to make me cross when he shot me. He nicknamed me ‘the pouting panther’. I adore this glamorous picture he took of me – it’s one of my favourites, especially as it was taken at the beginning of my career.

1983: As Alexis Carrington in Dynasty I had some great fight scenes with Linda Evans, who played Krystle, the wife of my ex-husband Blake. Before we shot them Linda would assure me she wouldn’t hurt me, but how the feathers flew! It was great fun. There was a wonderful line in Dynasty, ‘Don’t mess with Alexis!’, which I repeat to myself if trouble rears its ugly head.

2001: Here I am alongside three fabulous broads – Shirley MacLaine, Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor. The film we were shooting here, These Old Broads, was Elizabeth’s last, and she was in pain but always adorable. She overdid it – she drank too much, married too much and had too many jewels. But there’ll never be another actress like her. They’re all too scared now to be that over-the-top.

2013: The great Percy Gibson is my favourite husband, who never stops taking care of me and my whole family. We got married in 2002 and are pictured here at a party together. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like him. I subconsciously always looked for a man I can depend on in life and I hadn’t found it until Percy came along. He’s my rock.

TV UPDATE : LARRY KING NOW .. SEPTEMBER 5TH 2018 ..

Joan dropped in for a chat with friend Larry King on his online show Larry King Now... Here is the full interview... 

TV ALERT : AMERICAN HORROR STORY - APOCALYPSE AIRS SEPT 12TH FX USA / SEPTEMBER 27TH FOX UK

The premiere episode of season 8 of American Horror Story - Apocalypse airs on FX on September 12th in the USA, while UK views will see it on September 27th at 10pm on FOX...

Joan faces the end of the world with Leslie Grossman
 & Evan Peters

PROMO UPDATE: IT'S A WRAP FOR JOAN THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!

Joan surrounded by Gilles Toucas & his team, Stylist Rene Horsch, Jeffrey Lane & Percy Gibson

Joan took a break from filming the new series of 'American Horrror Story' to get ready for the holiday season, when she spent the afternoon with photographer Gilles Toucas and his team to shoot a sensational spread for 'Bella NY's', holiday issue.. I am sure it will be a cracker of an edition!

Joan set to cause a sensation this holiday season!

PRESS UPDATE : THE SPECTATOR .. DIARY SEPTEMBER 1ST 2018 ..

DIARY

Joan Collins: Why are people so baffled by the title ‘Dame’?

JOAN WITH CARA DELEVINGNE

Attending my goddaughter Cara Delevingne’s 26th birthday party at the trendy Chateau Marmont hotel in LA, I was interested to see how today’s young dress to party. Forget the fairy frocks, cocktail dresses and lounge suits I remember from my Hollywood parties in the golden age; it was shorts, ragged jeans and T-shirts emblazoned with cryptic messages for the boys, and minute, fabric-saving, low-cut dresses for the gals. Or perhaps it was the other way around. Fortunately the Chateau hasn’t yet succumbed to the fad for gender-neutral toilets that almost every institution in the UK has adopted. Where is a girl supposed to apply some lippy and have a quiet gossip nowadays? These temples of privacy and comfort are slowly being stripped away from us ladies and it’s time to reclaim them before we are reduced to locking ourselves in the supply cupboard to get some ‘me time’ or to escape the clutches of a predatory boss. The party was amusing, with half-naked strippers parading down the stairs and a mermaid frolicking in the pool. But it’s better I stick to my own hangouts where a knee-length little black dress isn’t out of place.

I admit I like going to restaurants. I enjoy the theatre of them and I love good food. There are two or three in LA, London and Saint Tropez that I frequent regularly, where they greet me immediately upon arrival and are always happy to see me. So when asked to dine in a different boîte, I normally decline. I’m not keen at being stared down haughtily at the entrance by a millennial who asks, usually in the squeaky Minnie Mouse voice which is so de rigueur nowadays: ‘What is your name?’ When I recently replied to this query, she asked me to repeat it because she didn’t understand my ‘accent’.

JOAN WITH HER CARICATURE AT LEGENDARY NY EATERIE SARDI’S

As far as using the title ‘Dame’, I never do. Not that I’m not proud of it — I am, immensely, and I love it when a particularly clued-up person uses it. However, in America and France most profess to be baffled and don’t understand the significance of the prefix, so I feel elitist if I mention it. Every now and then a Frenchman will take a stab at it, but it usually ends up as ‘damn’. Even the English seem dumbfounded by the title, so much so that when anyone makes a phone call on my behalf and says, ‘Dame Joan’, they are asked to repeat it. Eventually, in frustration, they just say ‘Joan Collins’, which invariably the person on the other end of the line misinterprets as ‘John Collins’. Most seem to comprehend ‘Sir’, but ‘Dame’ is beyond their understanding. I’m mostly referred to as ‘Ms Collins’ and sometimes ‘Miss’ or ‘young lady’. How kind — or blind!

I have just struggled to open a tiny travel tube of toothpaste, ruining my manicure in the process. Cutting open the cardboard cover with scissors was no problem. Unscrewing the super-tight cap was an effort, but it was the minuscule fragment of silver foil covering the mouth of the tube that confounded me. It had an even more microscopic tab which immediately tore off, so I had to resort to a variety of different tools to achieve my goal. These consisted of a hairpin, nail-clippers, scissors, a fork and finally my thumbnail, which promptly broke. They have similar foil covers on pints of milk, with tiny tabs that declare ‘lift and peel’ as if this were the easiest task to achieve. Invariably, after an effort worthy of Charles Atlas, only the plastic sticker that says ‘lift and peel’ comes off, leaving the foil undisturbed. Earlier this morning I spent several minutes trying to stab off the plastic cover on a cucumber with a fork. It now looks like it was riddled by a machine-gun — like a vegetarian Valentine’s Day massacre.

JOAN IN HER BEST ACTRESS ROLE OF HILDA IN ‘GERRY’

I was thrilled to have been awarded ‘Best Actress’ at the LA Shorts Film Festival in LA, for the first outing of my new movie Gerry. In the 20-minute film, I play a poor elderly widow who is looking for love via newspaper lonely-hearts ads. Very 20th-century, I know. Much was made of the fact that my make-up expert, Alyn Waterman, succeeded — with the application of prosthetics and wrinkles — in making me look like a worn-out woman in her seventies. Ironically, that’s actually younger than I am. Approbation is what I and my fellow thespians seek. Kathy Bates, a Best Actress Academy Award winner, recently told me at dinner that her mother was often asked why her daughter became an actress. She replied: ‘When she was born the doctor smacked on her behind. She thought that it was applause and she’s been looking for it ever since.’

TV UPDATE : KTLA 5 NEWS MORNING .. TUESDAY AUGUST 28TH 2018 ..

Joan popped into the KTLA Studios this morning to discuss her award winning film 'Gerry' and her upcoming role or should that be roles in the new season of 'American Horror Story - Apocalypse' premiering Sept 12th on FX.. For those who missed it her it is!!

TV UPDATE : EXTRA UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD .. TUESDAY AUGUST 21ST 2018 ..

Joan dropped into Universal Studios Hollywood to chat to Extra host Mario Lopez about her latest award winning film 'Gerry' and her many other projects for Tuesday's edition of the top rated entertainment show. 

PRESS UPDATE : CLOSER WEEKLY AUGUST 19TH 2018 ..

Joan Collins Reveals Her Biggest Career Regret (It Could Have Won Her an Oscar!)

It was the one that got away. "In 1960, I was offered a [movie] called Sons and Lovers, with Dean Stockwell," Joan Collins recently recalled to Town & Country. "I wanted to do it, and I don't think it was bad. However, I was living with and engaged to a young actor called Warren Beatty, who said, 'This is absolute crap.' So I turned it down." She soon came to regret that decision. 

"Mary Ure did it and was nominated for an Oscar," Joan said. "At that time I was more influenced by men." That didn't last long, though. "Everybody said to me, 'You'll be through by the time you're 24,'" Joan — who has just been cast opposite Jessica Lange in American Horror Story: Apocalypse, the next season of FX's Emmy-winning hit — shared.

Joan's wardrobe test shot for Sons and Lovers

"My father, all these guys in Hollywood... over and over again, I have been told this by men. But it hasn't been true yet," she added. Joan is now married to Percy Gibson and in a previous interview with Hello! magazine, she said that this is her best marriage yet.  

"It is my fifth marriage, and my happiest, and last," Joan gushed. "Percy is wonderful, he's my soulmate. That doesn't mean we don't bicker but we are very understanding of each other." The couple have been happily married for 16 years despite rumors that their union would never last.

"People are entitled to their opinion but it's good to prove them wrong," Percy told the magazine. "I've certainly never been happier and I hope that I make Joan happy because she definitely deserves that." 

For more on Joan Collins, pick up the latest issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now

PHOTO UPDATE : ST TROPEZ ROUNDUP ... SUMMER 2018 ...

Joan with Adrain Brody & Monika Bacardi

Joan with daughter Tara.

 Joan now back in LA and well into the shooting of the 8th season of American Horror Story, which premieres Sept 12th on FX. Joan enjoyed a well earned break in St Topez last month, where she caught up with family and many good friends.. Here is a selcection of pics, capturing all the fun..

Joan with Percy, Rene Horsch & Andrea Scoggin

Joan & Percy with grandaughter Miel & friend Stella Wilson 

PROMO UPDATE : WE ARE MOVING STORIES .. GERRY LA SHORTFESTS 2018 .. AUGUST 8TH 2018 ..

LA International Shortfest / HollyShorts 2018 - Gerry

When her husband dies, Hilda discovers a long buried secret that drastically changes the course of her twilight years.

Interview with Writer/Director Victoria Hollup

Congratulations! Why did you make your film? 

Thank you. Why does anyone embark on any artistic endeavour? For us, it’s in the hope that our work somehow resonates with somebody. Even if that’s just with one person, it makes you feel a little less alone in the world. And one of the main themes in our film is loneliness.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

You should watch this film because hopefully it will highlight that life is very short. Our protagonist, Hilda, lived in an unhappy marriage for 60 odd years. In the time we are given we should try to overcome our fear and live our best lives. Hopefully this film can inspire people. You should also watch this film to see Joan Collins like you’ve never seen her before. It’s a very brave and moving performance.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

As cliché as it might sound, we all want to give and feel love. We all desire companionship. These are primal instincts no matter what age you are. Loneliness is a killer. We are all going to grow old, that’s inescapable. When you are lucky enough to have lived a long life you’ll normally have regrets. Our protagonist, Hilda, has major regrets.

Stephen Grief 

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The original script was 20 pages, but we had to be economic and condense it to 13. The fundamental story really didn’t change much but some characters, like Hilda’s self obsessed estranged son had to go. What did happen in the process was we quickly realised the only way to tell this story visually would be in B&W. Even though it’s set in the present time, it’s a story that’s very much about the past. To highlight the melancholy and nostalgia, the only way was to go monochrome. Direct influences are Alexander Payne’s Nebraska and Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida. We also wanted to hint-tonally-to the British new wave films from the 50s and 60s.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

LA Int'l Shortfest and Hollyshorts are the first times Gerry will be screened properly. It was in Cannes, but only a rough cut without proper sound, so we are impatiently waiting to hear about its reception in LA. We have only showed it to some entrusted contacts, friends and family members so far. People have laughed in the right places and got teary-eyed, and there’s really no better reward for a writer than that. People think it looks stunning, much thanks to our genius DOP Jaime Ackroyd, Arri and Goldcrest.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

We naturally want Gerry to have as big an audience as possible. This helping hand from you guys is very much appreciated.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Our super trooper producer, Hester Ruoff, as I write this, is in LA dealing with all the aforementioned people. We are looking for investors to develop Gerry into a feature.

Oliver Ford Davies

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

If people love or hate Gerry, it’s almost a bit irrelevant. Haha, ok – the first would be 'preferable'. But as long as they have an emotional response to the film, that’s the main thing. Without revealing the twist, there are some important issues we want to highlight with this film.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

The film does raise a very important question. However, if we were to go into the details it would be a massive spoiler to the plot.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Hester Ruoff is currently developing a feature, an American war film, and looking to shoot next year. Jaime Ackroyd was Assisting DOP on Outlaw King and is just back from Mosul where he shot a documentary. I (Victoria) am producing and directing a short written by an award winning Swedish writer, about a difficult daughter-mother relationship. Paul is producing a short with the two great British actors Louise Ford and Eileen Davies. Paul and I are developing the feature length version of Gerry.

 Gerry

When her husband dies, Hilda discovers a long buried secret that drastically changes the course of her twilight years.

Length: 16 mins

Director: Victoria Hollup & Paul Agar

Producer: Hester Ruoff

Writer: Victoria Hollup & Paul Agar

Key cast: Joan Collins, Oliver Ford Davies, Stephen Greif, Lynne Verrall

Facebook: Gerry the Film

Twitter: @gerry_film

Instagram: @gerry_film

Funders: Stefan Allesch-Taylor, Angus Henderson, Esther Paterson

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month: at Hollyshorts 10th of August at 2.30 PM at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

PRESS UPDATE : TOWN & COUNTRY - JOAN COLLINS UNSENSORED .. SEPTEMBER 2018 ..

Living Legend Joan Collins on Her Past, Her Future, and the Very Bad Advice She Got from Warren Beatty

The Dynasty icon is about to star in season eight of American Horror Story.

by DAVID NETTO

With Elizabeth Taylor gone, Joan Collins is the only actress from the Golden Age of Hollywood still working, still beguiling, still winning. We think of her as Alexis from Dynasty, but Dame Joan, who arrived from England in 1955 as 20th Century Fox’s new ingenue, has starred in such films as The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955), The Bitch (1979), and The Time of Their Lives (2017).

More to the point, she has never stopped working; she is about to appear in the upcoming eighth season of American Horror Story. For any actress this would be a coup, but for one who played opposite Ray Milland and Richard Burton, it’s also a very hip gig.

“We have all been obsessed with her forever,” says Brad Falchuk, co-creator (with Ryan Murphy) of the series. “Joan is classic Holly­wood. A legend.” Asking what he and Murphy plan to do with their legend gets me nowhere, but Falchuk hasn’t told Collins any more: “I’m mum about her character except to say we are having a lot of fun writing it.”

Gwyneth Paltrow (soon to be Mrs. Brad Falchuk) is similarly enthralled. “She became a star when a female was allowed to embody only one archetype—the vixen—but she is so much more than that,” Paltrow says. “She is also one of the wittiest, most brilliant women I have ever come across.”

Collins received Town & Country at her Los Angeles apartment to talk about the past and the future, getting bad advice from Warren Beatty, and who really inspired the character of Alexis Colby.

Tea was served, anecdotes flew, and one tried to keep up.

Joan with Bette Davis in The Virgin Queen

Who were you most intimidated by when you came to Hollywood? I read somewhere it was Bette Davis.

Yes! I was 20, she was 50 or something [on the set of The Virgin Queen], and she was not happy. She didn’t seem to like anybody.

What is your husband Percy’s favorite movie of yours?

We don’t watch my old movies. I haven’t seen a movie of mine in forever. I’m not Gloria Swanson, darling!

Tell us about how Alexis Colby came to be. Is she you?

I was basing her on all the businessmen I knew who were heartless, really. The other part of her brain, the glamorous part with the over-the-top clothes, I based on one of my best friends called Cappy Badrutt. She was extremely glamorous, and unfortunately very miserable. But I don’t think Alexis was miserable. I think she enjoyed her life and lived it to the fullest.

Joan with Shirley MacLaine Elizabeth Taylor & Debbie Reynolds

When you came to Hollywood, who were you most excited to meet?

Ava Gardner. But I didn’t have just one favorite. I loved Vivien Leigh; Vivien was who I aspired to be when I was older. I thought that Hedy Lamarr was the most beautiful of all the actresses, ever. I also loved Elizabeth Taylor, but who didn’t?

What young actress do you admire now?

Sarah Paulson. I loved her in The People v. O.J. Simpson.

Every star has a role she wishes she had taken. What’s yours?

Je ne regrette rien. But in 1960, I was offered a script called Sons and Lovers, with Dean Stockwell. I wanted to do it, and I don’t think it was bad. However, I was living with and engaged to a young actor called Warren Beatty, who said, “This is absolute crap.” So I turned it down, and Mary Ure did it and was nominated for an Oscar. At that time I was more influenced by men.

Did you watch American Horror Story before being cast in it?

A lot of things happen when you go to those parties!

When I first saw it, I went to my agent and said, “I love this show. Can you get me a role in it?” Nothing. Then I met Ryan Murphy at the Vanity Fair Oscar party, and we had a lovely conversation, but I really didn’t think much more of it. Two weeks later we go to see Barbra Streisand at the PaleyFest, and I didn’t know Ryan was going to be interviewing her. We go backstage afterward to see Barbra, and Ryan says, “I just made an offer on you!” That was how I got Dynasty, too: meeting Aaron Spelling at a party. A lot of things happen when you go to those parties!

Bette Davis was once asked if she had any advice for young actresses trying to get to Hollywood, and her immortal response was, “Take Fountain.” What’s the worst advice you ever got?

Everybody said to me, “You’ll be through by the time you’re 24.” My father, all these guys in Hollywood… Over and over again, I have been told this by men. But it hasn’t been true yet!

Did you ever believe them?

No, darling.

This story appears in the September 2018 issue of Town & Country.

EVENT UPDATE : JOAN COLLINS UNSCRIPTED POSTPONED TILL FEBRUARY 2019!

Due to Joan's filming commitments on the new season of 'American Horror Story', Joan has taken the difficult descision to postpone her tour of 'Unscripted' until February 2019! Individual links to new dates will appear shortly on The Joan Collins Archive..
 See a message from Joan below!

I was very much looking forward to touring the UK in September with Joan Collins Unscripted. Unfortunately, due to my commitment to American Horror Story, we have had to postpone the UK Tour until February this also now means that our previous date on the Isle of Man will now not be continuing. This is unfortunately out of my control and something we have tried very hard to avoid. I always love touring the UK and am always grateful to everyone who comes to see my shows, which makes this all the more harder. Please contact the place where you purchased tickets for the September dates and they will happily change them to the new dates in February or refund you in full. I hope you will be able to re-book and come see me so I can tell you many new stories about my latest projects.

You can find the new dates above.