‘I Thought They Had been Silly’ (Unique)

The actress and creator dishes completely to PEOPLE about her time on the 80s nighttime cleaning soap — and her picture as the long-lasting villain Alexis Carrington Colby

Joan Collins shouldn’t be her character on the 80s nighttime cleaning soap opera Dynasty.

She’s many different issues, in fact. Actress and creator. Mom of three and sister. Spouse. Icon. And, in an upcoming biopic: Wallis Simpson, the controversial partner of former King Edward VIII.

And but, proper now, chatting with PEOPLE for this week’s problem from her dwelling in London that she shares along with her husband, actor Percy Gibson, Collins, 90, is certainly giving full Alexis Carrington Colby, delivering witticisms within the vein of her character on the ABC collection that ran from 1981 to 1989.

Living proof: When requested if she’s a fan of Madonna — they each dated Warren Beatty — she deadpans in her crisp English accent, “I’m not a fan of anyone,” and lets free a fast, if haughty, chortle.

It’s arduous to know if Collins is kidding, however that’s a part of the enjoyable. And, as she’s simply launched her memoir Behind the Shoulder Pads: Tales I Tell My Friends, which she’s additionally tailored right into a cabaret efficiency in England, she’s able to have slightly enjoyable.

Associated: Joan Collins on the Dynasty Costar Who Kissed Her ‘So Hard’ She Bled — and Why She Rejected the Spinoff

The actress has been working professionally since childhood however broke by as a juvenile delinquent in a 1952 British jail drama, I Imagine in You.

She was quickly “offered” — her time period — to twentieth Century Fox in Hollywood, the place she performed principally forgettable roles whereas remaining unforgettable for her magnificence. (She was named the “prettiest woman in England” in 1958 however says studio execs advised her early on that she was “fats and ugly.”) Then alongside got here Dynasty.

“The primary time I heard of the present, I mentioned, ‘What’s that? A Chinese language restaurant?'” she remembers to PEOPLE. “However I used to be a fan of Dallas, I knew Larry Hagman, as a result of he was residing in London when Mary Martin, his mom, was doing South Pacific and and he was a refrain boy. We used to see one another at varied events. And after I watched him in Dallas, I assumed, ‘I would like to have a task like J.R. Ewing.'”

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“And, in fact, God heard me and gave me Alexis,” she continues. “And truthfully, I completely beloved enjoying her. I adored her. In actual fact, should you gave me the scripts of Dynasty and mentioned, ‘What do you wanna play right here? Do you wanna play Fallon? Otherwise you wanna play Krystle? Do you wanna play Alexis?’ I would say, ‘No query. I need to play Alexis.'”

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Followers adored Alexis proper again. The one-liners, the style, and the fights. There have been many between Collins’ Alexis and Krystle Carrington, performed by Linda Evans — not that Collins loved filming them.

“To begin with, I hated doing the fights. I assumed they have been silly. I advised [the showrunners], ‘Alexis makes use of tongue, not her fists, to get the higher of individuals,'” Collins shares. “As a result of Alexis was very witty in some ways.”

Associated: Joan Collins Says Sister Jackie’s Death ‘Left a Void That Was Impossible to Fill’ Despite Their ‘Ups and Downs’

When reminded that Alexis all the time appeared to lose the bodily fights, Collins says, “In fact, Linda was taller than me. I did not care whether or not I misplaced the combat, so no, it did not hassle me in any respect.”

“In actual fact, I’ve by no means even considered that,” she says and lets free a hearty chortle.

For extra on Joan Collins, decide up the newest problem of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here. 

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