Joan Collins talks Dynasty backstage bitching

Dame Joan Collins spoke to Attitude magazine about the behind-the-scenes bitching that was seemingly as legendary as the on-screen fights.

“There was a lot of resentment. I’ve been asked this question a million times, and when I was doing it, I would poo-poo it. I’d say, ‘Oh, no, no’. But yes. There was. And now I know there was because many people have come back to me who were around at that time and said, ‘They bloody hated you, Joan’.” – Dame Joan Collins speaking to Attitude Magazine

[pullquote]Let’s call a spade a spade[/pullquote]

Joan Collins, who went from Anglia Television’s Tales of the Unexpected to one of America’s biggest super-soaps in the almost blink of an eye in the early 1980s, has spoken about those Dynasty years and its not a luvvie darling situation at all according to the 86-year-old actress and author.

While her character Alexis Carrington-Colby was the shows on-screen super-bitch, Collins notes that behind the scenes saw just as many real-life feuds as animosity between the main stars caused backstage run-ins.

“If you look at some of the things that John Forsythe, Gordon Thompson and even Michael Nader said about me in interviews, they were not nice. I have never said anything about it before, but now the time has come. Let’s call a spade a spade.” – Dame Joan Collins in Attitude Magazine

Speaking in the Attitude Awards issue The Stud movie star revealed that Dynasty regulars held “a lot of resentment” towards her, seemingly due to the fact Alexis Carrington was ushered into the show following a less than successful first run. Alexis featured in the final episode of the 1981 series, however not fully shown or heard until the first outing of the second season in 1982 when Joan first featured in the role.

Created by Aaron Spelling the primetime drama, branded a super-soap in the UK, aired for nine seasons from 1981-89 and also starred John Forsythe as Blake Carrington and Linda Evans as his second wife Krystal. Alexis being the first Mrs Carrington.

“First of all, the fact that I was English, some didn’t like that. This English woman comes in and saves the show. This is what the media said, because the show was about to be cancelled. Even now, when we get together for Dynasty reunions as we did a few years ago, I see an antipathy towards me.” – Dame Joan Collins speaking to Attitude Magazine

While most of the cast, other than John James who played Jeff Colby, seemed to take a dislike to Joan, she notes male lead the late John Forsythe – who had previously been heard but never seen in Charlie’s Angels – possibly had the most distaste for the actress. ‘There wasn’t a lot of love lost between us [the cast], particularly John, who played Blake.’ She noted, adding, ‘I don’t know if you’ve seen any of the DVDs of Dynasty – John had to have his picture twice as big as anybody else, even though Linda and I were [just as] important’. Dame Joan added that Forsythe also had to have the most lines in each episode or he wasn’t happy.