Judi Dench could not refuse the offer to star in The Chronicles of Riddick after Vin Diesel’s heartwarming gesture. The actress played the role of Aereon in the 2004 sci-fi film starring Vin Diesel. As the elemental ambassador, her character guides Diesel’s character, Riddick, in his journey.

But before the casting, Diesel, who was also the producer on the film, went to see Dench to offer her the role of Aereon. However, ahead of that, the actor sent a kayak-sized gift for the 91-year-old. And that seemed to have worked out well.

Judi Dench, in her memoir, “Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?", wrote that Vin Diesel went to see her at the Haymarket Theatre. However, she recalled that before arriving at the place, he sent a massive flower bouquet for her which was almost the length of a kayak. And it was so huge that the bouquet could not be taken up the stairs to her dressing room, and were instead placed on the stage.

“You can’t say no to a man like that, can you?” she joked, adding, “I’m cheap as chips, me. Far too easily wooed.”

Dench accepted the offer and played the iconic role in the film. Now, there is another interesting story behind yet another Dench’s role as Princess Natalia Dragomiroff in the 2017 film Murder on the Orient Express. She shared that Kenneth Branagh gave her an embroidered handkerchief with the character’s initials on it when he offered her the role.

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Dench has also shared several such lesser-known and hilarious and other interesting stories of her experience in the industry, and one such is the death of her character M in James Bond movies.

Judi Dench’s character, M, dies in the film Skyfall, bringing an end to her character’s journey in the James Bond franchise. The actress played the iconic role for nearly 20 years. In an exclusive excerpt from her memoir, Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?, Dench revealed that it may have been Daniel Craig’s idea to kill off her character. 

Daniel Craig, who played James Bond in the film, stars alongside Dench. Her character is shot in Skyfall and eventually passes away due to her injuries. Although M’s death was a heartbreaking goodbye for fans, Dench revealed that she enjoyed her time playing the character and being part of the iconic franchise.

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