Maryam d’Abo, the iconic Bond girl from the 1987 film The Living Daylights, expresses satisfaction with aging gracefully as she prepares for her return to the London theater scene. At 65, the actress firmly rejects cosmetic surgery, opting instead for a natural approach inspired by legendary performers.
Rejecting Cosmetic Enhancements
The star, who portrayed Kara Milovy opposite Timothy Dalton’s James Bond, shares that such procedures do not appeal to her. “It’s not my thing,” she states. “I have not grown up with that world. I grew up with a world of wonderful actresses like Jeanne Moreau and Simone Signoret who aged naturally. I wouldn’t dare go there!”
Reflecting on her self-image during her Bond era, d’Abo reveals a grounded perspective. “I never saw myself as beautiful in the times when that’s how people saw me,” she explains. “You don’t go walking around thinking, ‘Oh I’m beautiful!’ There are some mornings when you wake up and you feel great, and others when you don’t feel great. I feel like any normal human being, that ageing is not an easy process and you have your ups and downs, good days and bad days.”
Overcoming Health Challenges for Stage Comeback
D’Abo’s upcoming role marks her first stage appearance in over 25 years. She will star in Spanish Oranges, a play written by her friend Alba Arikha, running at The Playground Theatre in London from February 11 to March 7.
Her journey back to performing has not been without hurdles. In 2007, d’Abo suffered a brain hemorrhage that required surgery, impacting her memory and causing anxiety about memorizing lines. “If there’s anything that’s affected me from the brain haemorrhage it’s been my memory,” she admits. “I think it’s a combination of age and that. Your muscle is weaker because it’s been intrusive; they opened my skull and put a tiny little metal in there. I feel like the memory muscle has been weakened.”
Post-surgery, she faced additional challenges from medications but remains determined. “Learning lines is hell,” she acknowledges. “But ask any actor of a certain age what it’s like learning lines when you’ve got a lot of them. I’m anxious about it because of that.”
Navigating Personal Loss and Finding Comfort
Raised in Paris and Geneva, d’Abo experienced profound loss in 2023 with the passing of her husband, Oscar-winning director Hugh Hudson of Chariots of Fire fame. The couple, married for 20 years despite a 24-year age gap, had no children—a choice she views without regret amid global uncertainties. “The world is in a dark place,” she notes.
On coping with grief, d’Abo emphasizes resilience. “You have to keep going,” she says. “You can’t stop and have self-pity—that doesn’t get you anywhere. Many people out there are in a much worse situation than I am at this time.”
Her loyal companion, a 13-year-old French Basset Hound named Winston shared with Hudson, provides solace. “If there is one man in my life he’s my dog,” she shares affectionately. “He was our dog and we loved him dearly. He’s 13 now, and all my friends and I adore him. He goes everywhere with me, even to rehearsals.” Currently, she cherishes the support of close friends during this period of mourning, finding comfort in familiar connections rather than new romances.
