Maggie Smith’s Death Has Friend Judi Dench in a ‘Tailspin’: Questioning ‘Living to Work’ Philosophy

Judi Dench is still utterly shattered over the death of her longtime friend Maggie Smith, according to a source, who lays out exclusively for Closer how it’s turned the Oscar winner’s world upside down and got friends worried how she’ll cope with the tragic loss. 

“Dame Judi Dench worked with Dame Maggie Smith relatively early in her career, they formed a solid friendship, and Judi really modeled the arc of her career after Maggie,” says a U.S.-based insider who has worked on big projects with both stars. 

Dame Judi, 90, famously broke down into tears when asked about her grief over her late friend while on stage at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. The Downton Abbey star died “peacefully in hospital” on September 27 at age 89, according to her sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin.

The two stars had met when they were both young and getting their start working at the Old Vic theater in London in the 1950s. “What I remember mostly about that time, it was the beginning of a friendship, and I remember laughter more than anything in the world,” Maggie said in 2002 about their days on stage. “Judi’s the most tremendous friend. She’s been a huge support and hugely loyal.”

Judi and the two-time Oscar winner starred in the 1985 film, A Room with a View, and afterwards remained close through their next collaborations: 1999’s Tea with Mussolini, 2004’s Ladies in Lavender, 2011’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and the 2015 sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. They also appeared alongside Dame Eileen Atkins and Dame Joan Plowright in the 2018 documentary, Nothing Like a Dame, where they discussed their experiences in British cinema.

Both veteran actresses had similar careers as well as personal interests, too, including swimming even into their 80s. While filming their last movie together, “every morning Maggie and Judi would swim in their Victorian swimsuits,” the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’s writer and director, Ol Parker, recalled about the pair.

“Like Maggie, Judi has continued to work well past retirement age and has made some of her biggest hits in the last twenty years,” the first source continues, “This loss has hit Judi very hard and underlines the dangers of her ‘living to work’ philosophy. Is losing Maggie enough to make Judi re-evaluate her packed filming schedule and slow down and finally smell the roses?”

The veteran actress’ last film appearance was in 2022’s Christmas comedy Spirited. She currently has no other projects publicly in the pipeline, either, signaling Judi is ready to enjoy her retirement.  

On top of Judi’s good friend passing, she revealed she is suffering from macular degeneration, which is affecting her eyesight. When asked about whether or not she’s planning on working on anything soon by a reporter at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, she told the journalist, “No, no. I can’t even see!”

The source says, “Judi is a global treasure of the film community but Maggie’s unexpected passing has her in a tailspin and she’s bound to make different choices going forward.”