Life lessons: Samantha Bond
Actress Samantha Bond, one of the star voices in a new audio drama of Black Beauty, chats to Yours about early theatre days, films and her love for books
Books give us so much
I grew up in a house where our mother read to me and my siblings every night and then once we were old enough, we read to each other. We read things such as The Wind in the Willows, The Secret Garden and probably every Noel Streatfield book ever printed. It instilled in me a love of the written word and to this day the reason I take particular jobs is always because of the script. It gave me a very vivid imagination which stood me in good stead for acting. And when I became a mother, I made sure it was always bath, then a book before bedtime for my children, who later became actors themselves.
patience is a virtue!
When I started out I went into repertory theatre which meant I worked a lot – in fact I think I did about 27 plays in three years. Then I hit my first quiet moment where people say you’re resting but actually you’re fretting anxiously and that’s when you have to learn about patience. You have to know that the right thing will come up. My children are learning this at the moment and in fact my daughter is currently reading books for the blind for free which I’m thrilled about as that’s what I did when I left drama school, too.
theatre greats inspired me
All of my favourite roles have been in the theatre but two of the best were Three Tall Women, which I did with Maggie Smith, and Amy’s View, where I played Judi Dench’s daughter. Working with these greats, they don’t give you advice as such, but they lead by example. From them, I learnt focus, concentration, commitment, vulnerability and about striving to be your best at all times.
Being in James Bond was a thrill
Playing Moneypenny in the James Bond films was great and it really was like joining a family. We all still stay in touch. I don’t think I could ever go back to working on Bond again as I always said I’d only be Moneypenny as long as Pierce Brosnan was Bond as we worked so well together on set.
i love radio 4
Radio is one of my greatest pleasures. I’m afraid I’m a bit of a Radio 4 addict. I’ll start with the news and then if I’m at home, it’ll play all day through to The Archers. I also love crossword puzzles – only the cryptic ones, though, I don’t feel the quick ones are a challenge.