Joan Collins in her apartment in Beverly Hills, Calif. on March 22, 2022.Photo:Ryan Pfluger/The New York Times
Ryan Pfluger/The New York Times
Joan Collinsis not her character on the 80s nighttime soap operaDynasty.
She’s many other things, of course. Actress and author. Mother of three and sister. Wife. Icon. And, in an upcoming biopic: Wallis Simpson, the controversial spouse of former King Edward VIII.
Case in point: When asked if she’s a fan of Madonna — they both dated Warren Beatty — she deadpans in her crisp English accent, “I’m not afanof anybody,” and lets loose a quick, if haughty, laugh.
It’s hard to know if Collins is kidding, but that’s part of the fun. And, as she’s just released her memoirBehind the Shoulder Pads: Tales I Tell My Friends, which she’s also adapted into a cabaret performance in England, she’s ready to have a little fun.
Joan Collins.Getty
The actress has been working professionally since childhood but broke through as a juvenile delinquent in a 1952 British prison drama,I Believe in You.
She was soon “sold” — her term — to 20th Century Fox in Hollywood, where she played mostly forgettable roles while remaining unforgettable for her beauty. (She was named the “prettiest girl in England” in 1958 but says studio execs told her early on that she was “fat and ugly.") Then along cameDynasty.
“The first time I heard of the show, I said, ‘What’s that? A Chinese restaurant?'” she recalls to PEOPLE. “But I was a fan ofDallas, I knewLarry Hagman, because he was living in London when Mary Martin, his mother, was doingSouth Pacificand and he was a chorus boy. We used to see each other at various parties. And when I watched him inDallas, I thought, ‘I’d love to have a role like J.R. Ewing.'”
Heather Locklear, Pamela Bellwood, Linda Evans, John Forsythe, Joan Collins, and Pamela Sue Martin in ‘Dynasty’.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty
“And, of course, God heard me and gave me Alexis,” she continues. “And honestly, I absolutely loved playing her. I adored her. In fact, if you gave me the scripts ofDynastyand said, ‘What do you wanna play here? Do you wanna play Fallon? Or you wanna play Krystle? Do you wanna play Alexis?’ I’d say, ‘No question. I want to play Alexis.'”
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“First of all, I hated doing the fights. I thought they were stupid. I told [the showrunners], ‘Alexisuses tongue, not her fists, to get the better of people,'” Collins shares. “Because Alexis was very witty in many ways.”
Joan Collins on ‘Dynasty’ in 1987.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment
When reminded that Alexis always seemed to lose the physical fights, Collins says, “Of course, Linda was taller than me. I didn’t care whether I lost the fight, so no, it didn’t bother me at all.”
“In fact, I’ve never even thought about that,” she says and lets loose a hearty laugh.
For more on Joan Collins, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.
source: people.com
