Joanna Lumley says she didn’t get into acting ‘for stardom’

EntertainmentLifestyle
30 Jul 2025 • 5:47 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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  • Joanna Lumley has claimed she didn’t get into acting “for stardom” and has instead been “trying to earn money to keep myself alive”.
  • Despite being turned away from drama school, she began acting in the late 1960s, securing her first speaking role in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
  • Lumley is well-known for her roles as Purdey in The New Avengers and Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous, and is joining the cast of Netflix's Wednesday for its second season.
  • She said actors are “no different” from painters and decorators and most have never longed for fame: “I’ve just done anything to keep my head above water.”
  • She praised the availability of "wonderful parts" for older women nowadays, noting a positive shift away from the pressure to always appear attractive.

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