Joan Collins, 92, Becomes Wallis Simpson for Vogue

Dame is taking on a new dynasty as she is set to play in the biopic, My Duchess. 

The actress, 92, transformed into the Duchess of Windsor for British Vogue and spoke about her fascination with Wallis and her struggle to shed her Dynasty persona as the scheming Alexis Carrington. 

The new biopic, set for release later this year, follows the American divorcee in her final years. 

Wallis became the Duchess of Windsor after marrying King Edward VIII, following his abdication. 

The film will chart 'the shocking untold story' of her twilight years when she finds herself ensnared in the menacing grip of her lawyer Suzanne Blum, played by Conclave's . 

By 1977, Blum was the only representative for the widowed Simpson, whose ill health left her practically confined to her Paris bedroom.

Biographer Hugo Vickers has described how the 'sinister' Blum took advantage of the royal's memory lapses and physical weakness and 'sacked' Simpson's other lawyers, meaning Blum had 'near full control of the Duchess'.

Dame Joan told Vogue the idea for My Duchess came: '10, 20, 30 years ago, when everybody said, "Oh, there are no roles for women over a certain age. You have to find your own subject." So I thought, "Well, surely this is a good subject".'

But it took until 2023 to find a producer, who is His Majesty King Charles III, the Duke of Windsor’s great-nephew. 

Joan recalled: 'One day I sat next to this really nice gentleman at a dinner for The Prince’s Trust at Claridge’s, and told him the story and he said, "I’ll think about it, blah, blah, blah," and I never heard from him again.'

But John Gore, who launched his own film studio in London, later got in touch after reading Louise Fennell’s script. 

Of why she wanted to play the Duchess, Dame Joan said: 'I’m always fascinated by women who everybody says are nasty people. And when you strip it all off, you find out that they’re not really.'

Elsewhere in the interview, the actress spoke about how she struggled to shed her Dynasty persona of playing the villainous Alexis.

She said: 'When [Dynasty producer] Aaron Spelling said, "Joan is Alexis," that haunted me for so long. I said, "Aaron, why did you say that? You know that’s not true," and he said, "Honey, it gets headlines". 

Dame Joan reflected on being pigeonholed as a 'bad girl' and a 'sexpot'. 

'[In the ‘90s], I did [a BBC adaptation] of Noël Coward’s Tonight at 8:30, where I played eight different roles, ranging from the elderly hag to the socialite to the abused housewife — but it doesn’t matter what you do. They have this image of you.' 

Joan jokes My Duchess may shatter that image as she joked: 'Oh, for at least half the film I’m a wreck. Just more and more hideous: ageing make-up, long, grey hair, straggly nightgowns.

'Fame and glamour are ephemeral… I never chased that. I always chased being a good actress, and work, because I was the breadwinner for most of my life. I still am.' 

Read the full feature online and in British Vogue’s June issue on newsstands Tuesday 19th May.