Dawn French lets out a throaty hoot of laughter as she describes her latest project, which will reunite her and comedy partner Jennifer Saunders on screen for the first time in three years. The award-winning stars were cast by the legendary actor and director Kenneth Branagh to star in a multimillion-dollar movie adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile – a move which Dawn admits “came as something of a shock” to both of them.
“Well it’s the great Kenneth Branagh, isn’t it?” she says, settling into a comfy armchair for a chat. “And it’s a very big-budget serious movie, so to put Jennifer and I in as a sort of double act was very brave of him. We were worried – on his behalf – that by having the two of us, it would suddenly seem like a comedy parody. But he was completely insistent we could do it.”
In the movie – which stars Kenneth as the famous Belgian detective Hercules Poirot, along with Hollywood actress Annette Bening and Da Vinci’s Demons star Tom Bateman – Dawn and Jennifer reprise the roles made famous by Bette Davis and Dame Maggie Smith in the 1978 version of the crime thriller, which is set in the glamorous ’30s.
Jennifer plays the spiky, wealthy American socialite and kleptomaniac Marie Van Schuyler, while Dawn takes on the role of her nurse Mrs Bowers, who is more than a match for her companion. She laughs, “We wanted to do it really well for Ken. He’s quite strict, so you really have to raise your game, to know all your lines, to have thought through every move and every action.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BATTLE FOR THE THRONE
As word of a judgement leaks from the courtroom where the Murdochs have been tussling for power, those close to the throne suggest that the battle for the world’s most powerful media empire has only just begun.
AFTER THE WAVE
Twenty years ago, the Boxing Day tsunami tore across the Indian Ocean, shredding towns, villages and holiday resorts, and killing hundreds of thousands of people from Indonesia to Africa. Three survivors share their memories of shock, terror and loss with The Weekly.
Escape to the country
Raised in New Zealand, design icon Collette Dinnigan opens the doors to her family homestead, where treasures from her travels rest side by side with the sights, sounds and style of her Australian life.
Ripe for the picking
Apricots are at their peak sweetness now, take inspiration from our savoury and sweet ideas.
Grill-licious
The backyard barbecue has come a long way from the days of chargrilling some snags. Try our fresh batch of recipe inspiration for your next cook-up.
Reclaim your brain
Perimenopause made me realise that our brains need looking after.
Long and the short of it
If youre considering a chop and change, this is how to nail a hair transformation.
Have we lost the art of conversation?
In a world of thumbs-up emojis and one-way voice memos, are we forgetting how to converse? The Weekly engages in an experiment in listening and genuine two-way chatting.
Farewell, 1936-2024 Maggie T
At Lhe Weekly Maggie labberer was and remains our guiding light the epitome of elegance with a whip-smart intellect, naughty sense of fun and innate kindness. She was a one-off.
MEL SCHILLING Cancer made me look at myself differently
One year on from going public with her bowel cancer diagnosis, Mel Schilling reveals where she's at with her health journey and how it's changed her irrevocably.
